The remarkable French thinker Simone Weil is one of the leading intellectual and spiritual figures of the twentieth century. A legendary essayist, political philosopher and member of the French resistance, her literary output belied her tragically short life. Most of her work was published posthumously, to widespread acclaim. Always concerned with the nature of individual freedom, Weil explores in Oppression and Liberty its political and social implications. Analyzing the causes of oppression, its mechanisms and forms, she questions revolutionary responses and presents a prophetic view of a way forward. If, as she noted elsewhere, 'the future is made of the same stuff as the present', then there will always be a need to continue to listen to Simone Weil.
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'We must simply expose ourselves to the personality of a woman of genius, of a kind of genius akin to that of the saints.' - T. S. Eliot; 'Simone Weil has become a legend and her writings are regarded as a classic document of our period.' - the New Yorker
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'We must simply expose ourselves to the personality of a woman of genius, of a kind of genius akin to that of the saints.' - T.S. Eliot
The remarkable French thinker Simone Weil is one of the leading intellectual and spiritual figures of the twentieth century. A legendary essayist, political philosopher and member of the French resistance, her literary output belied her tragically short life. Most of her work was published posthumously, to widespread acclaim. Always concerned with the nature of individual freedom, Weil explores in 'Oppression and Liberty' its political and social implications. Analysing the causes of oppression, its mechanisms and forms, she questions revolutionary responses and presents a prophetic view of a way forward. If, as she noted elsewhere, 'the future is made of the same stuff as the present', then there will always be a need to continue to listen to Simone Weil.
Simone Weil (1909-43). One of the most original philosophical, religious and political thinkers of the twentieth century; besides working as a teacher, a factory worker and a farmhand, she fought for the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War and was a member of the French resistance.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Lark
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Weil is one of the greatest libertarian orientated socialists I've ever had the pleasure to read. This short volume comprises her assessment of socialism in theory and practice, beginning with existing oppression Weil considers the theory and practice of socialists in response.
There is an excellent elucidation of how the Bolsheviks accepted in pracice the sort of arrangements that they themselves had opposed in opposition when introduced by the Tsar. To do this Weil considers Lenin's The State and Revolution (Penguin Twentieth Century Classics) in contrast with what Lenin's administration permitted when they had seized power. Crucially Weil revisits the ideas associated with the Paris Commune with the reality of the USSR, in a similar way to Rosa Luxemburg did, see Reform or Revolution and Other Writings (Dover Books on History, Political and Social Science).
The final essay in the book is difficult to read and messy but most of the points have been made already in the essays prior to that. Weil considers that the problem for socialists is how best to combine intellectual work with routinised and/or physical labours. Weil endevoured to combine labour and intellectual work herself in her own life by interspacing lecturing with stints working in a factories. Weil describes in the closing chapter once more how she felt socialists must distinguish between necessary evils and avoidable suffering in seeking to better the world around them.
Its a very interesting book on the "other" issues in socialism besides questions about equality or need, questions such as the structure of the state, division of labour and specialism in life and the economy.
A really neglected volume this is a great addition to book shelf of any socialist who is willing to take libertarians such as Hayek, Mise, Rothbard or Friedmann seriously.
There is an excellent elucidation of how the Bolsheviks accepted in pracice the sort of arrangements that they themselves had opposed in opposition when introduced by the Tsar. To do this Weil considers Lenin's The State and Revolution (Penguin Twentieth Century Classics) in contrast with what Lenin's administration permitted when they had seized power. Crucially Weil revisits the ideas associated with the Paris Commune with the reality of the USSR, in a similar way to Rosa Luxemburg did, see Reform or Revolution and Other Writings (Dover Books on History, Political and Social Science).
The final essay in the book is difficult to read and messy but most of the points have been made already in the essays prior to that. Weil considers that the problem for socialists is how best to combine intellectual work with routinised and/or physical labours. Weil endevoured to combine labour and intellectual work herself in her own life by interspacing lecturing with stints working in a factories. Weil describes in the closing chapter once more how she felt socialists must distinguish between necessary evils and avoidable suffering in seeking to better the world around them.
Its a very interesting book on the "other" issues in socialism besides questions about equality or need, questions such as the structure of the state, division of labour and specialism in life and the economy.
A really neglected volume this is a great addition to book shelf of any socialist who is willing to take libertarians such as Hayek, Mise, Rothbard or Friedmann seriously.
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