Simone Weil and the Intellect of Grace - Henry Leroy Finch.pdf

7/22/2019 Simone Weil and the Intellect of Grace - Henry Leroy Finch.pdf

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ME WE


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SIMONE WEIL

AND

TH NTCT OF GRAC

B

H L

b M A

F b A F

ONTN YORK


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The Connum Pblishing Company370 Lexngton Avene New York, 1007

Copyright 999 by Anne Rdley Cane Finch

l ighs reseed. o part of this book may be reprodced sored n a eiea

sysem o ansmied in any orm o by any means elecronc, mechanicalphoocopyg, recorng or otheise, witho he wren permsson oThe Coninm Publshng Company.

Prined in he Unied Saes of America

Library o ongress Caaogng-nPblicaion Daa

Finch, Henry Le Roy.Simone Wei! and he inelec of gace by enry Lero Finch ;

edted b Marn And ; preface b Annie Finchp m

Incldes bibliogaphical eences and eSB 082641908 B -49 () Wi!, imon, 909943. ni, Marin. I. Te

B230W4F54 99994c2 993260

CIP


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Conens

FOREWORD BY NI BVAOS

TROUCIO B MARN NI

C. Alcon ove and Geomety2 Gno. eec d Gace ano nnity ad te Sience

5 T E awence nd te ication of Ev6 Ma, Oppreon an ibey7 Natonaism8. Heiegge Sence, an ecnoogy

9. ove n banonment0 Recoveng the Sacre in Hmanity

. he e an Dea of Simone We ime and imeene

O

BLOGRPH

X

v

viixi

23

5

59

7

83

9

0

28

3

69


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'his page intentionaly lef bank


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Foreworby A Fc

LL M A's S and wderanging ntellectua aonoulned by Martin Andi in e ntroducon o collecionSmone Weil the objec o mot enduring and devoed tudy.

And yet, altoug e began wor on a boo about Weil almot twenty year

beore i dea, t te rt boo o i writing about Weil to be ublied le to tn tat n te year dring wc my ater wa writing boo

on Wittgentein and other ubjec, and otonng te onganned aembly o a coecton on We e wa deveing te liewdom e would needto addre Weil adeuatey Aoug t would ave been wonderl i ecould ave nied editing i collection ime at leat by te tme began to ut t boo togeter n lat mont o l e d attned a

leve o ereniy and inigt beyond at wc ad been avaable o im earer

Wen y ater nally eumed wor on Wel ix mont beore i deatrom cancer, e wa too ea to carry a ile o boo by ime clearedawy te any tc o boo and ae ound i car (wt i cac-teitic ene o duty and ono, e ad been nng anoter manucriton te mytic Da LoveAnanda ta e ad omed and et obligated towte Under i direction carried boo and mancr about Wei and

arranged tem in ile on te table in tudy He told me tat te Weboo woud be eay ce e ad bee carryng aoud ead o manyyear e aed me to bin m a eal ad and e bean to write

n te lat wee of i ie, e wa too wea to wrte imel and dictatedte remang eay o my moter and to a dedcated nure named le

oe ercule He wa tll woring on t boo te day beore e diedn

vii


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vii oreor

Augut 22 cloe to Smone Weil' own deathday told my ate tat wouldget the e! book pubihed and nce am a poet not a pioophr walucky that h devoted rend Martn Andi agreed to edt and introduce th

collcton wc mre m anew wt te vvdn and ntnity o myathe thnking n concluion I oer te olowng legy rom my collec-

ton Cede a poem which I wrote o my ate' memoral ervice

VGLS

memr f er Ler Fch 8 22

Beqeh o rh shore

s wered he orex ofor rve

The es wde spdrf e ords prse

art Cane Voyage"

a on coud talk we cudnt undetand him"

Ludwg Wttgentein

Und te ocan tat tretch out wordlelyp the ong ege he a h h

the a deep wndow te wave hav not opendwhee ngh eeced tug decade o gahere the nuery there i the nanny

there are my ater' magncent eyetund towad th wnow te ch uneayi the eath tha crcng the tar

n te deep room were cande urn oundlely

and peace pour at at troug the cel o u odie

tee o u ae watching one o u i tang

wt the wde gaze o a wild eaed eal

Inc and ag ea in moe loud a veand crcket ng and toward the edg o the ourga

We wt outde tme wie tme collc courage

aound u e vg wordle Once you

aw time ung outwad tat day n te nuerywhen oo t meant anguage a your moth voce

traced out te attern o etter ou aw


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orord

wod tae tei beat and e fit cle open,te pace collape inwad Tey paled. Yo penwold catc in delbeatey lette incied

le nema on tone a yo ead, oting patientyWittgentein, Gtind, die, o Wel

o watc te longet, moe te thet, delibeate n beat

pling nto yo body Yo ae towad yo deat

ead aced on te piow yo et inge cledo mot cing genty, nmoved by tee o

and tei vgi at pay, yo ow ow ayo ae going, and ow long te ong minte ae,

wile pialing gt watce oe te oom

and tae yo, ntil yo watc in tn

e eeae te page. Hee te mal,

bingng boo, gatitde tdent, and poem

ee ae te and te pinning o etena top,

icon, paade, monateie and boadwal,gazebo, pie, oon and npeangience age again. e wod come

lie a cent om a lowe eomety i cleaangage i natal. e t not clee

cat peak tei own angage. Y ae till beaingee i eleae. Hee i yo pllw,coo lie a andecie peed n a pocet.ee i yo wite oed long gowng ai.ee i a on yo tempe to old yoae tog yo otde' long teady waee, o can go We wi w yo,od in te ilence we all came ee o.

Nigt, tae i eft and, nig te pageSin with te window and doo tt e mended.

Sin wih i anwe, patien, impatient

Spin wit i dy independence, i amwamed by te need o amly, i and

flying nde te wide, caved god ng, and te page

flying o i togt cold y. Hi bea low,

lending it edge ot to e nigt

x


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X Forewod

ee h open ouh Senc hee

e a huge bandnew quen ha he wudn anwe lea h epe e gae aone

e ha gven h bod h hand e abvehe hee n a bo whene a cuve

o hub an oenge nged wh wde gd

and h ace whch udden and beauu oungo an nan new n he gh o he lae


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bbeviations

cri de Lodre e deire ere (Gamar 957).

F Fir d L Noeboo (r. car ee Oxor 970)

FW Forive Wriig 1929-1941 (e. a Doroy uck McFar

lan an Wlema a Ne Uvey o Maacue

re 1987).

GG Grvi d Grce (nrouco by Guave bo r Emma

rauur oulee 952).

GW Gew o God e Da aper onaa 974).

Iiio of Chriii og he Acie Gree (r Eae

ae Geuler oulee 957)

L ecre o Philooph (r u Prce Camre 98).

LPG e emacy o e Provonal Governmen" (r Peer

Wc Phioophic Iveigio 5 [987] 8798)

Noeboo 2 vo r Arur Wl oulee 956)

The Need for Roo Arur Wll Punam 952 reprnearper 97)

OC Oevre Cople e Anr Deux an Forece e uy Gal

r 988)

O Oppreio d Liber Aur Wl a Jon Pee Uve

y o Maacue e 958)

x


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Introdutionby M Ad

T

BOOK A COEON of Roy Fnhs ns o Smon whh h nn o p oh no onnuos sy o h

houh n nfn h ws won on houh hs n l

nss Fnh ws on of h founs of h mn W Soy n 970 n

h s n ppn n s mns n hs wns n susson nonvson h onsnly omp Smon W (909-93) n mpo

n o n H (889976 n o Luw Wnsn (899-

95), o whom h wo h w oos Fnh ws

Y n olum n ws pofsso of phosophy o wny ys

Sh wn ol n sn ys Hun ol y Unvsy

o Nw Yo Smon W h hhs o o hoh h

lso m sl n K s n o Bohm Wlm

Bl n H Lwn ososy n Gn n l h h oo p ns n Tosm Hnsm n Buhsm spy h wo

Njun n n H su Zn Buhsm wh sz Szu

olum n s h on y w wol xmn n suss n h

h wy w now o uns n Kn H lso xpo wsh phlosophy p

lly h hoh of n B Fnz Rosnzw n Gun

whos pps h s wll s nn Gnossm mv hsm

n slm Sufsm n hmy bbh n h oul phlosop of h

Rnssn nln h of Bohm n Non Fo hn ys Fnh

h om Fly Smn on Ron bnn oh shos

om l ov w Yo n h onsnly n lssy soho n h

ns bwn h mo lous n phlosophl ons whl h

loo ou fo p ny H ws onvn h Smon Wl s h

ns w n o show us how o hn lon pols, hsoy n


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2 Indcn

e hs colleco of hs es wo gves some dea of how he ega o dohs wh he hep

oy Fch was daw o Smoe Wel y he feedom ad opeess of

d he powe of aayss ad ccs he clay ad peso he oveof h ad he huge ad hs fo usce, he coce wh ovolece,

ad he aemp o e a pacfs, as he hmself was hough he Secod Wold

Wa e aso shaed he mss o echology ad asaco ad he edc

o of all vaes o hose o commece he coce ha phlosophy shod

e pacca as wel as coemplave, he ees he egos dmeso

mahemacs ad pocs, he egad eveyhg ad eveyoe mag

aled o ecuded y ohodoes ad esalshes whehe was woldegos ad heeses o he coloed peoples of he hd Wod. He sawhese eecua ad oal quaes, ased o a pofoud ove o h,

Pao ad o a gea exe Wgese. e fe ha Wes Nbs wold

oe day sad esde he Pnss of Pascal, peseg he same aflg oscuy o hose who do o ead eaesly ad umos cay o hose wo do

The foowg chapes al o hee oad caegoes: elgous ad oal

epsemology he ccsm of pocs, socey, ad ce; ad ee

hogh a sp o h, usce, love, ad feedomo ch he cee he po o depae, ad he goal of Smoe Wels

hough s wha mgh e caled n ps f c h s o he a ma-

e oh of aeo ad coempao ad o aco ad e2 I ees aso ovg , wh o ha good doves s o eale fe, ad as a odo o hs pehaps s palyhe sam hguh ees us om self ad s aases o pesge ad powead eah, acso ad pey ad ompesao o ele fo

s pa ms d e good, caelly dsceg hese alse woldly magesfom de o see as s eec ms e maed y love (hs s

he adoal vew;3 eve so we ca do o moe o oseves ha o away om sch shados ad o sede o Gods ove who aoe a

show s ha pe Good ha s hm ad ha he s4

Thoe who oe ruh more ha le e ur aay rom he eeg hg o

me wh al ther oul, o ue the exreo o PlatoThey do o tur oard God Ho ou he o o whe they are oa

are God hel et her ae he rgh dreto

f gace aloe fls o eec hs way, we eed gace eve o

eg execsg ve he ove o h y whh w om asehood,o a leas dese o , s a mpc ove o God, hs ow ove oscuey

ad cousedly selcosos s (hogh he oscy ad cofso ae

os, o hs)6 hee o he mos mpoa ways whch Wel says God

eaks he hold o o egosm ad akes o mpesoal eec ae he


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odco

ncountrs ith necssity he ovide in mthemtics beauty and affliction(if it is not reat s t droy us); thse tee acquain u ith he nece-t tha ds t ord he has ceated a an act o oe hat eavs r

to gve or reuse our onent to hs der tirring our attntion and dsirthey gie us a precious opportunit to ee him in the as eth thoghthat God i iibe to Resn in lemental phnoma or hey dene hed that ersnts the distnce beeen G s Ceat and orsels ashis cratures a ditance eated n love and f lov and crossd only by it. utithout hi initiative cld do nthng is a gc, given freel ehae not earnd i nor is i conditional n any respne nr cod anyespons be fuy aequate to it r eua it and ray .

Finc exane Wei's accont of h rs' use temat a a yr th ntlct to and fom od frst to understnd the idea f cise habout raltis byond or iagnatin and beyond the ertainty of ay andnnreliou exerienc and scond to eplain the idea o a mearbetn ncommensurabe a proinal mean abve all bten Godan humant_? e los e dicussion of ancnt ree mahematcs andoe n o so o sh ooed or and found among the notic the idea

f a reliio knoege r o.8

h

sars hr snse o the old afaln om od bt goes beyond them n eeing t stnce etn himnd th r and hi absence thin it (ecept sectly) as the bet an cea-s proo o s rea ad hs o h u he ma h rs o apossile ors n hi hi loe is s psibl9

Go i a paricpaton n divine noldge beond pepecie eimans beyd ptal egitc persecie c ar to her only appear-nce nd lun h mans he abadonmnt o f ody erse

ive atogeter0 She oll Pascal and Kirgaard in gaing infnit a crteron o od; and hs maes it easy fr her t r n h transnmatmatics o ano t dscibe religiou truh In hi alble dcssion hi nch eras mphasizes eis atntion to d's nnite eatnesin himsef t the neglec hat says of his inf smllness d nfin-tesimalne comped to and y the criteia the ne if n may t t thisay2 Fr h rcur consanty to t ough ha here bel d i perss and acts nonactively that in humility od comes t us as a bega ith

no force tht love tha he nither compls s o lo nor is compeed lve us y any hr force that h is hard only in ience. Finch elseerehs is aarn o s over for eample hen he says (n chaper hat fr e! od i no i a orldly sene pow o mch as he is or eyond all er but ht of e3

inch goes o o sho ho Wi! and antor it into e laonic trditiono an n h mgh e cled a ua sense o a vre o th imis hat dein a proceds from : on his shoing od is a


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4 Intductio

Good that s othg ut good ad o way ev, ad the soure o th good a other goods that vaousy uay t Ad h dsuss oe artulary Wes dea o the way atheat a e ysteousy ad ovde-

tay "arorateresely where t s oderous o eessay a waythat s otherwse ute o otasaet to ou tellge)o the Goodad to od hs elato to hse ad to the wold ad to u Ts s oeo ay geeay egetd tos Wels wtgs that h oe u orfuthe vstgato

Hs study of Wes rtque of utue oety, ad olts egs wth heradato oT E Lawr who shaed he stugge to uderstad how toat tuth how to fathful to ora deals ad ea o wog deagwth oe He too oud aset dsle ad ufato a od o thsgeate odeal o oa tgty ad freedo ad ufeg or thse deasa ulle selowede He ewse, ad ths s very sgat, eded to lvewth otes eatos of ualty4 Both ehasze whe eoto thats aestess wholeheartedess, tegty o uose ad deead yetpea o geu ato, the st ad test, as that whh we hae ohoe whh, s Desares woud say we ae o t "det t so-taeous eg daw rsstly to what ests tsl o ou urest adllest ad most "ua atetothat s to say ost detahed o se adoe ad justs the est we a do ou ustaes. h vl wethe ust do s purie oly y h onvton that we have to do deo vod dog eve ger ev d he th es lloy o ouseves) We! eas o oow rhas eahg he BhgvdGta, as wel as Soraes the Goris ad to orast the ae whh evls fed o wog wth tose whh t s ot tg, or exa the as-

sares Caa that th eew o the OldTetmet ad that hy dd atthe oad o her od Evl s ot ued o wrog he wold a whe s ot essy oder o aosh wha s st or eveyoe aeed wat we do

h x exae Wels assesse of the wo of arl Max She o-eds hs dea a mehas o soal oes the relaos o ow betweerdug ad ug lasses whe ejeg hs oo ha he tuh ote ad the wog lass s hstoally evtaleThe frst a soe o

ges, she says he seod s mrey wshul thg, o wa s meha-ay eessay wl ev o se odue wha s good Mar has safeduth to hs love o juste We tes o ole arxs geat dea y devel-og a geera heory of oesso s turg huma egs o tngs,that s o ay dvg the o reed o thk ad act as thy heseleswll t s degadg he y sg th owe o serets ey as adstge agst the o evoe adao and ear o thos who hav oow, thogh o one has fo og or s tuy mad great eause o t The


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ntrouton

pestige o poe is ths egoistc nd exciing t the mginin but it ismgny o le he end f oppesion eques criique of th grtnssdefned by poe, nd n terntiv definiton by regrd for feedom nd f

the imits thin hich humn being execse it nd throgh hich theyecontr the orld nd one nothr It requies tnsfomtin of our deof lbor Weil dr on her on experience n the ctoy nd the fieds inpictuing re socity s one in hich people think nd 1 or themselvesnd hile they hve t rk fo hei vng their ok s r bo not svbonot, s or rx becuse they on the mens f prduction butbecuse they e crtsmen ho undestnd nd vue the hoe proces ndthe otrbuton they me to it nd to society individuly nd togethe;their hnds nd hds nd het r t on in truy humn lbor her orkhs mening s pt o hmn or in the orld5

nch note ith provl Weil point tht x in his mechnicl dter-mins id to llo or idvidul thinker like himself h cknoledges necessty but so judges it s i e cnnot trnscnd our scity ndcss but us think nd udge s t does, s f it is our socity nd clss thtdo this in nd through us but, so Wei obcts, nothng soal thin ony thenva

doe It shud be d, hoever tht e re socil bngs ctn live nd think wh others, nd thus e oten mn to thin throuhtgether ht t judge or do bout something goup such s fmily or busness enteprise or ntion e cn tke purely privte roe or moepublic one, nd then e pek s individuls on behl o l o uss indi-vidu mmbr of ou grouinvtng consensu by offeing ress thtshould be esons or ny o us. In ths y e cn thn or o socitythouh it n nd thouh u ht it doe it becue yu n J do his s

or cn be thinking respnsbly, nd ot ece mebelieve6Weil onede th in efect in her dscssion o ntonism th truentionlsm tht roots th sou in th orld oposed to th hch meely

exts the cll1ive eg i he use o rce tht elly uoots both oppressond vitim o there e univer needs tht ony ntions cn rghtly ulfillnouishing the soul ith tditions, lnguge pces nd esonl etionshps. She pres not to sy tht e hve rght to the fulment of theseeeds, but the tht e hve obgos to see to it tht they re mt he

righs re in themselves egoiic nd morl nd e sserted n spiit o br-gining nd cotenton ht is bced by orc or the het o t nd bocksmvemnts o humn generosity on both sds. o sy tht h is ongen gil i orced ino prostitution is tht hr rghts re vioted is to ytoo litle is she hes ho is ved Wh is ong is ht sh is bengdenie her u s humn being, the protecion th ny sevs nd iswed by nd expes om ny o o b humn being is to be morly con-nected t humn eings n y tht is both iperson becuse t i du to


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6 Inrdcn

nyone ro nyone ipy becue bot e un nd peron (becue

i cl or ernene, woleetedne inegiy o epone A we ll

ee, Finc contnty return to ti pon in orde o bing out ore nd

ore o it.eil ee o y t i i wrong to uproot oter, nd y it i rg to

upoo ouelve wen it i ro te le ntionli o coecie iolence

nd woldly dointion o i bind u to te rue ooing nd noui

ent nion one cn give edior o ove nd ru ro e een. e oud ee ou couny oeing uniue nd niniely preciou,

bu gie nd peibe nd n obec o our opion nd ove Fo ot

o e lie xi rdicl, eil d been n internionli nd pc

i, but wen te wr ce e w eger o coe o te id o er country

nd oug o oin boteu beind eney ne o even o led e o

nure to end oldie o bot ide t e ont line. George Steine y tt

t te l o Pr in 940 e declred it gret dy or ndoCin; butAndr Deux point out in correpondence tt te coet e coe o t

in writing n n rtice e d pubied in 97

When hink of an eenual r admi ha he fear and horor uch a hough

caue one i mixed ih anoher comring hough I i ha a European arcoud ho he gea eenge of coona peope o punh ou hougheneour indifference, and ou cruely7

Crici o e priot o tio or i coptibe neertee wt priot bed on uice nd reedo o a people

Finc i rigty concened bout e propol to lii eedo o

peec by puning poliicin nd ournli o willu ying nd deceit, e e ie t e en to deend ti eedo or everyone eengo dcove nd dece e ut. e eplin it, owee, te it i entto be juied by te econd nd e ntend peciely to proect te reedo

o te ind ro ntereence by indoctrintion propgnd nd te ec-

nique o uggetion, epecilly o totlitn otie. And e

point ou, we cn dd ody te ngeen o public opnon by e nd

ltrut, pndoctoing nd dinortion ee corrupt te pt o

trut nd e inoleble en ebe o n ognied body lie cuc

t crged wit te peetion nd trniion o trut quetion ordeny tt intituton princple t y reove te ro tecing unc

tion but it cnnot rigty ience te, o requre te to adhr intellectu

y to it principe. Noting cn rigtly retict te reedo o te intelec

inded, it i n obligtion o and o eveyting nd let ec ow it or

wt it i e u wnt to ee ting ey re nd not we wnt to ee

te. n ti, eil i ollowing Pto nd nt18

o e ing we wn to ee t wy ony we wnt e to be


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ntdton 7

an wan o ma hm h r of morn n a hnoogy a hya rz bo by Smon W an by arn ggr a v a

grang To h hy ar an o h Goo whl o hm hy a lo o

Bng wh aongly onal f from hm h how how bohhn fn h a n a fal nvam Wl n a ronam ha on nohng n b h worlly an w an ma vnabl o om-mral an olal oron by h ov gr n a bjvm

ha oa frm h ra an a mahy of ha n a

wha w now Sh r on rlgo mnon o lao whh h

go wh h mhaz h hnomnologal n n rol -

rgar by h oh a for rnw vy o a ray ha byonan mor han w an ma of Sh wo ay ha w hav no hman

n b or lov an r of r Goo h wol n n or on

n o an from n Bng hy boh or only r n h brahngof h r r of hmany no n an hnoogy an no o

nr lr and o an oy B boh ar m abo h

ro ha h w han

If h romhan Wll o mar nar an bn o or wll n n

mo hnology an n how a yaly man a hrvy o nar ha fry oora wh an b hogh of a fm-

nn a n morn nvronmna an ologal wrng a w a annhn Taom n wha may b h bol on Fnh lor h

a by omang Smon W o h wfhnry Hlga of Bngn

who a of h grnng fhn of h vng omo B whr l-gar vw h worl a ra n lov ha how Go' rn hrogho

W al bdond n ov ha hown rly n Go' bn

hrogho In anng h Fnh mnon h nhnry Kabbal- aa Lra who o of Go' Zmm or aon b whrawal o maroom or a wor ohr han hf vn allowng o all away no awol om nnn n a rkg v nabl o onanh bay ha hm an n on o h To Wl h aban-onmn of h wo f how h ov of Go who ha a a wol for

n whh h gra lov an b hown n ron o h a worl n affl

on n whh or lov ha h gra an o ro o hm

In vlong h Fnh onr h ov o a arn fo a hld whhrn rang or n aanonng o ma a lf ha br fo h hl

rf hr o Jon Bowll' arf hory of h a n mdva

o Kndn ongr. arn' an ay a moh lov

frl gn rahr han arn an mronal or r o h hl

ba on' h rahr han ba of onaly lab or oh-

w an qally o l an o bror an r who ar lov

j a mh n h la nh on o h ra bwn h w Ta


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8 ntduton

men Go o loe an te Ol etament Go o at. e Go o legaan Wel o beang an ogng te Go o oe ewang an pun-ng wt nnte eety an ealouy (a oen a oug t nee

many quacaon) te Jew Go geneall a c an unatable anoten angy ae te Can one moe lke a ong ote te one a

Go o powe an oleance o pagan an eec e ote a Go o non-olenc an ncluon.9

e tue Go o Smone Wel a Go o loe an peace wo welcome

eeyone an eeytng an accept eey elgon an eey eey omu-

ate n goo at an wo een allow ate an olence an nleance

n wol a pa o e el at ene e tance oe a to con oe to be a geat a t can be. nc ow ow Wel' ew wa patly

antcpate by te Ctan eetc acon wo wa attacke by etullan

o ctcm o e O etament Go an atemp to cona e

ae Go powe wt t tue Go o oe Wllam lake te omeng

mla teen centue ate.) o Smone Wel Go' utce not en-geance t loe uman utce a no ote ogn. o te only tng tattop u om wongng one anoe wen we can get away w t an ge

ometng out o t o ouee ou ae xon ogood om oneanoe mply becaue we ae equally uman beng t te ecognton o

ou common umany an tu e uman knne tat we owe eac otewtout ang eane t o one anytng to eee t We ae bon wt teectaton a we ae gvn wat w n o no aon o tn a oe u goo an o no ea oe an to ge t an o to o wa make

bot goo epectaton o goo an e loe tat acknowlege an ulll wc eall an mplcly te oe an ee o ue nne Goo

e ony ace tng n u t e ba o genune uman communyte ounaton o eal egon te goun o tue umanm an culue0 ne eement n u at once mpeonal an peonal a we aw eae It muc to nc' cet tat e a woke o tenacouly o cay

eae et attempt t expan te e an oug o Smone We n py

cologca em n eect to explan e away wtout examnng wat e

mean an wee t tue e ge a coe eang o e ette to ate

Pen peenng a pual autobogapy tat nene to lay eecon no o ene e cuc toug e ay e loe Go Ct e

Catol at an t tugy ymn actectue te an ceemone (WG

4950 openg) In t ette e ecbe te Ctan atue nwc e w bon an gew up an emane a e e e tel o teeece contact wt Catocm an e mytca expeence; an e omuate e uneanng o e ncanaton o Ctany n eeyay e

an ocey an o e ca om Go o be a Ctan osd e cuc. Se


22/190

roduco 9

s concened about the totataran tendency of the church to limit the free

thought of its members and to exude those wth whom it disagees at thes o eectng the truth it does not undestand.21 inch notes that words of

God are iable not to mean the same to the public even within the church asthey do o the relgousy ernest ndvdual who speaks or hears them a pointoften made by ierkegaard onsideng the death o Simone Weil inchmentions the socaled terrible paye o tota annihilation in od and obe-

dience t his wil that she wote in New ork as an example to show what

paye s he explans that ths amounts to the same as the ord's rayer that

ods wll be done n us in time as t is in hm in etenty This s aso the

meaning of her prose poem about hist's taing he to the attc to ta wth

her fo a few days and then sending her away fo good; pehaps it was a ms

tae it could not have been he he came o and yet she cannot pevent her

sel rom thining with ea and trembing that despite eveything she has hs

loven the final chapter we see inch applying the thought of Simone Weil in

comparing he four great eigious traditons o udasm histanity in-

dusm and uddhis n thei treatment of time and the timeless Whereas

te ews cary ther past wth them in a hstoric present they share as a peo-ple hristans see the present as the oy time they hae n whch to act atime in whch they ae ee rom thei past and from sef and free smpy o doright as ndvduas that can nteract in deepe community. hristians

mean to ecover the tme of chidhood when we ely on the care of those who

ove us indus ecover a time beoe bith perhaps best understood as abirth o se wth ts dualisms of subject and object subect and subject Thismpeonal onsouness the sa remains with u wthout ou knowing it

beneath or above our ordnay one and t is te puriation o this from ourobscuty and conusion its claification and sharpening in ous that ulillsus as our greatest reality and our tuest nowledge and our ulest oy uddhsts are ntent on ths movement beyond sef but they prefer not to speakof emegence fom it into a deeper or higher elf because a words and mag-

inaton objetiy and reduce that Sel whereas it is pure subjectivity en ud-dhists free ths by attention to o, o uestions to which this feedom s

itsef the ony answer when we suddenly see that we get nowhere by our own

eorts but everywhere when we surrender to the livng tuth t comes suddenly and rom beod me in renunation of selfregardng egrets and

resentments o what ws and of desies and hopes for what w be when we

ong o ood and do what there is rightly to do and then receve and enjoy

what ghtly has to be ow Ths everyday oving attention to what s gven

to us and fufs us an attention that is itself givenfor both come rom

beyond ou egoistc materialist seis the intellect o grace

inchs conclusion that we should accept a our tations and learn from


23/190

10 ducio

a uman tadons s not a asual emak It sums up s dea taken oeom Smone Wel o eeng eethng and making room o a and permttng tem to reeal temsees o wat te ae and to nd te own

leel This reques detacment rom our own prte egosms and ou regardo an impersonal Good that is not measued b them and not mted bhem It s ear that Ro Fnch himse sought ths detachment and egadand ound Zen ad Chstiant set e hgh It is clear also that he unde-stood openness to a reigions to be a criteion of authentc region andopenness to a human tadtons a cterion o u hmanit This opennessis a wllngness to ente nto daogue wth one anoher as equas deserngou attenton at east inta) a wngness to be ontadicted and coectedwhere we see that we are wong to owe others our opposition and reasonswhen we tink tat the are wong to make and isten to appeas to experi-ence to earn rom each other It is part of sharng a word that is common toal who are awake to it and to one another and to themseles so tru thatwithot ths receptit tere is no rea wod or human bengs and no realhuman beings ee no ea diaogue and no rea aon and hat s no efo a man or woman to ie Eerone who knew Ro Fnh wod sa tat

h knew how to tak and sten and lea knew ow to reeie ws e muchawake and alie and humanA wod n cosing about he title o this book Te edtor considered "he

Gace o Inteet which athes Smone Weis and Ro Finhs idea tat ourst nowdg s give to and hae n the eaut and so in the fe ofthe ge. But "The Intelle o Gace modeed on antes pase illod'mor n L i Nuov 910 and Pugo 24.5) connotng as t does atansformng knowedge concenng gace as we as nsped and b it

seemd peferabe in te end as it seems to combine both maningsA notes n th text tat foows are the editors except those marked wihan astersk


24/190

H A T R

fflition ove and Geomety

H D a san f he ntelec an he esci-

n is at. neetual claty th he ha a siiual signficane

an she heself ha he git t e spe an a he sae ie she ha a

eakae inelleual sphisticain a ae cinan We ae eine

ne f he aie pes Gege Heet an als f a philsphe hshe i n n ut th h she ha uh n n Wittgensten

say tha ine We s a sple wie is nly t say hat she s siple

n he ay ha inseins euatns ae siple He euans f cuse apply

he ea f he spi hee e ae n ue luciy at eas he

egee uciy n ates f egin e hae ng sine gen ay

slppiness t en an senientaiy y akes he ie e a

ine Weil ees ulae as pesnal an enigac as he fae

aheacal physs. e eaes ae ane he fee ha she s iing n a e f hh he n hae he ke They an see h e

n unesan he euains n aheaical physics; n elgin hee

shun ee unestan ieiael?

The siiai eeen eligin an aheats is ndee ne ine

We s cenal pns n he ie he supenatual s allie he ea the

inellec an ppsiins au t shu e e cea e pecise an

e luc than ppsitns aut the naual. n hs is een tue een it

s s u hen e e eang ih he paaca ine We h

ha an eanay analyti in aheatics stats an enaes

n aaes an his is ha akes i as e shal see an iea analgue f

egin he Geek geety as ne he supee pphecies f hist

ne Wei sa he siitua signifcance he ipesna inellect

s all he aheacal ntellect hich ees us the iases an pe


25/190

2 Aicion Lov nd omtry

udces o egocenrcy oh nddua and collecte he awesome mpersonal order and eauty o he natura world teach us a lesson that we couldneer earn rom the psychologcal and socal worlds nected as these are

wh he deluons o he human ego and t was also her ew that the psychologca and socal worlds n ths respect are as mechancal and necessaryas anythng n nature One o the great eachers o the human sou s thempersonal truth o mathematcs and scence when seen n ts proper sptualperspecte

hat concerned Smone el was what had the power to perce the sourom wthout She had no llusons aout human nature She knew tha what

we ell ourseles aout ourseles s n one ay or another almost alwayspleasant whe what we nd out aout ourseles rom outsde s almostalways a shock It s one o the man essons o Greek tragedy Only whaperces the soul rom wthout has a chance o reeang to us what we realyare Matheatcs and scence come rom wthout n ths way; so do at andeaut; and a thrd thng perhaps most mpoant o al pan and humaton Mathematcs eauty alconthey hae the power to reak throughthe shell o the ego hus she wres

s he same h hh peeaes o e seses hough pa o he eligece hough mahemaica poof ad io he faculy of loe hough

beauy (S 186-18

he scenst has no clam o sprtua nsgh a long as he es hmpersonalty and oectty to specaled areas o scence and reuses totun t on hmsel and hs own e Pure thought lke pue alcon anether dre us no oursees and desolate us or t can shatter our pretensons

and lerae us In he atter case t orents us toward the Good n Patos senseo the term hs s the meanng tha scence and matheatcs had o heGeeks especay he Pythagoreans and lato and whch modern scence andmathematcs hae orgen

e must conser he relgous sgncance o dout and skeptcsm n thsprocess o strppng away e ecome attached to deas as hey were personal possessns and we are not wllng to see them hared But there areptas n skepcm oo he great rench poe Pau ary questoned the

relgous skeptcsm o Pascal ecause he deeced n Pascals hdden moteo ghten hmsel and others nto regon hs cannot e sad o Smoneel She makes no cosmc wagers he nnte spaces do no rghten herAnd she does no y o justy preudces whch she already hods on relgousgrounds

rtcng n another way another skeptc Descaes the Amercanphosopher haes Pece once sad Le us no pretend o dou n ourheads what we do o dout n our heas Descate' dot was n he head


26/190

ition Love n eomery

and or ti eaon did not reac te eeing were our utimate rationaaion and ubteruge are idden Simone Wei i ver critica o te eronan religonnot becaue e i againt eeing or tn tat ony idea mat-

ter but becaue e now ow eaiy eelng exre dee individual andcollective reudce.

urtermore e aw tat t roce by wic we conceal rom ourelveour deeeated atacmen or condiioning i a neceary a water lowingdownil We do not contro te automatic worng o e iaginaton Weaway ee ting a it wee in ou own avor or n avo o our own grout i eeoe viuay a mirace i anying enetate trog t andtere are ony a ew ting a can eneate troug it te cientic andmatematca intelect imerona beauty and ove and te ower o uer

ing wen i doe no coe in and degrade u n tee ree ace e Greekmind antciating ritianty aw te uenatural acting n e wold.

I oow tat te eonal te ycoogca and te ocia and itoicaare not o intrinic vaue o Simone Wei becaue tey are a ineced by eego. Notng in tee ere can lay caim to uveraty or iritualityey a al under te iuion o eective broug aou by te condi

tioning tat cono man ie Ony e imerona nteect, ee ee-ing nd rdeattering alicion can brea rougTe "oude not a we migt be temted to imagine he mateia a

uc lt te dvne beyond it wen tranaent te inteect tat i toay mateia neceity reecting divine neceity wen wat rtetremoved ro te Good i een to e an image o erect obedience to teGood It i te mnd tat e mediato between bind necety and dvineneceity

Te Good e ueatra eyond all ower and oce and i tereoreo a comleely dierent orde rom uman and mateial owe I a nolace in te wod at all And yet Wei ay tee i a ecet comctybetween te Good and e word Here one o te air o contadictorytrut a ave to be ed n te mind at e ame time On te one and teGood doe not beong to te world, a we can ee or exame n te cae orit o a e ometime ut it t ouce te wod only a ometingininey ma On e ote and t deciivey eer te wod A ao

new t i tee two rut ogeter tat mae widom Anyone wo nowony one o tem i not wie

T mateia wod i cometey unde te way o ower and orce a areao te ycoogica word and te oca word Hee a i neceitytoug i necey a a dieren cracer wn en rom e andoino te Good It Simone Wi mo oound contention tat we owe no

aeganc o t ower and orce none watever We owe aegance ony tote Good


27/190

Aon Lov nd om

Ths wh hav crcd S l hav d s ay r hr rass rs fr hr appar Machas sg ar as ar away fr

Gd as pssbl scd r hr pps prsas ad all fs f

rwrlds ad hrd r hr rjc h sca ll h jcsc r h sa surc h rfusa a ay ccsss h pw

rs f h wld Sh wll bw dw h ga gds dayh a

ral wrld pwr h a r h prsly h Gd

S l ay b sad pus a gav sg vr all h pws h

wld as ds h ac phlsphy h Nw Tsa ad ca la

bs f h Old Tsa ad hr wys h Bgvd h Un

sds h o Cng ad h Buddhs suas Hr o r bracg

s r radcal ha Hussls xdg h ascda g hsy

ad h dalcc h pp ad h whl cul h psychlgca s hr ha w S s s spsg ad s chaac

sc da ha Gd s cplly abs f h aal wld ad y hs

vy absc s h s pc xprss Gd's h wds Gd

s s Gd wh h ps h xsc wha s a h uhs v

r h Ths s hw ls Chsay bacs Machas d

hav d wh a l aal wd b wh a ga paadx ba h hs v h gd s b pps h Gd

b b a sl prd xpss f h Gd Ths wh hav bs abadd hav h gas ppuy lv hy ay hugh sv l b v sh ha cs rss hs ass s wh sbyd ha capacy ca ly b a supraual g: h v Lvslf Hua capacy sf ds xd s fa as v ha whcaffcs ad abads s h hua lvl h sul s shs

sTh aglss bl cssy f bru fc whch s h x

absc f Gd h aa wd s paalll b affl whch sshg ws ha sg bcaus s pa a pra a

g cbd wh h scal hula ha s h xr absc Gd

h ha wd s y f hs w gh cssy ad afflc

ca b gv ag ha h s ay ag spag abu Gd ha

hs vr happs has b xpcd b blvd T h aflcds ag

zd cy f hy? hy s hs happg? hy a abadd?a cry hawas wchd v hsh s asw u l says ha h

afcd vhss psss h a ward h Gd shg aculus ha h ca h wd wll b val

S ls ys Chs bca cplly hua ad cpllyv ly hs cy abad hy has h sa ? Th

h vry slc h was shg ly r ul sgcac

ha a sps Thy w b d


28/190

Afiction Loe and Geomety 5

We ee how Smone Wel cme to reg Chrtnty omethng le ene o ton t te only elgon tt n ue o (o menng n)

ueng nte o tyng to epe om t oweve oy the wor rng

they ptue the poblty o ext thougt bout tee extremte unertoo by Ctnty o eent to u ony ten whn we e emoterom m e ow hme ony when n ep ompetey ut o

ene We y

hsas ough o suspec ha affco s he vey essece of creao To bea creaed hg s o eessarly o be aced bu s ecessarly o beexposed o afco . . . Aflco s he sures sg ha God wshes o be oved

by us s he mos precous evdece of Hs edeess (S 19t my te nt ully to netn t (n t etny te one to

pte t but te og le enoug. mng vne ore n te to bn mterlty n ore, n vne loe n te mt o pemnent

gony n lo, not wht we woul expet rom umn beng, t et not

wtout elp

Mte neety n ntelet neety e utmtely oppote.(ere no elton t ll between te neety tht plu equl 2 n

eelng te wegt o two o llng on you he" By mateial neetye men oe n grvty wr n te te umn trete out on pe

n tme, the ruxon, n te powe o te wol by inellecual nee

ty lgt n ge, tnluene n von, oe n bety, te mone

n poporton o the wolmn beng, ttely gle, t te mey o evey mter ent n

t ny moment expoe to the poblty o ton, ve ony two tnypot were te re ne to omeg ee ne te pty or pronl, mprtl ttenton, te wtng tt n ntene eeptvy to ttw ome om oute te oter t nerbe expetton n eveymn beng tht oo w be one to u. ee re the ony tng n u ttre wot o totl repe n tt nnot be ten wy B ompron,gt e upel n nly t te mey o power mone We oe not

beleve n gt. t te expetton tt goo wll be oe to u wh e

regr te b o ute n not wht on Rw e e

expetton o oo mperon. e emn or e re rom te

peronlty n onnete wt lulton, poevene, n envy.

e nnte tne between te vne n te un w bge by

ee mthemt, ee trgey n te et n rebrt own n the

mytey egon ree vlzton w t t to mete between te

power o the worl n te bety o te oo

Hre he very cer of al Geek hough s peecy pue ad umoscore he ecogo of mgh as a absouely soveeg hg a of ae,


29/190

16 Aficion Loe and Geomery

ldg the atura part of the huma sol th all the thoughts ad all the

eelgs the soul otas ad at the same tme as a absolutely detestable thg

ths s the ate gradeur of Greee . Ths double moemet s perhaps the

purest soure of the loe of God IC 116

What is it abot geomet hat makes it he model o he relaion between

he hman and the dvine? In what way does mathematics tsel express he

divine These qestions reqire s o look nto Smone Weil's phosophy o

mathematicsHer view s that mahematcs s not only a scence; t s the only sence Fo

nohing is a scence ecept o he extent hat t s mathematical. (Ths echoes

he Patonic agains the Arisotelan concepton, ha at bottom there s only

one scence, or one scientiic method instead o many scences or mehods)

Bt eqally mportan, she says, maheatcs s no an solated sbject con

cerned only with se, as many now beleve n its very essence s he sci

ence of naureWhen ths is ignored or ogotten, we get the empy omalsmhat we see n mode logc and mahemaics. t o rom elaton to natre,

becomes a trvial game.

the scence o nare, mathematics is no onge a podct merely o the

hman wll I what i s becase he world s wha it s lmo fom thsart Greek mathemaic concened with one main qeston he qestiono innity, hat of nmbers and hat o the contnm (nnite divisbiity).

The Greeks were not bewldered by ths: they hoght with he ost pec

sion, igor, and exacness abot ths qeson. Nohng eveals he signii-cance o he hman mnd and its relaion o the nara and spenaalbeter han his, that o most exac thnkng has o do wth st hs, and harom jst ths arse o most pacica ests in arithmetc, geomety, calc

ls, and mode logic. Whle we may say tha the innte remans incom

prehensble to the imagnaton by generating conadicons, what is reay

impotan is ha s he sbjec o o most exac and l hnking In

al he varios cises n he hisory o mahemaics, beginning wih Zeno's

paradoxes and the Pyhagorean "scandal o ncommensrabilty, hrogthe iatona nmbers o adano, the "nnely smal qanes o the a

cs and he maginary nmbes o Hamlon down o he paradoxes o

modern logic and set heorythe qesion o nny has remained centaland has conined to prodce the bes o hman hinking

The Pythagoean discovery o the incommensrabity o he hd side o

a righ tange wih the sm o the ohe wo sdes may be aken as proo


30/190

Afcton oe and Geomey 7

pc nc h s n, h hrd sd crn hs xc nh

hs nh b sud bu it cnno b xprssd n th s ns sth combnd nhs o h oh two sds h s n ny who nmbrs or

fcons Ths v Grk mhcs h shock th d o ts grtschvmn. W wod s ht nn dos no df hnin bt bcosits rus xprsson. n odrn rinoo h nh o h thrd sid hs

o b xprssd s nonrcurrin nonrpn nn dcim

Whn tody w hn o htics s dton bwn th nit

nd h nn, or wy o xprssn h ttr n trs of h orm wsos or tht hs trs "nit nd nfn hd or h ncnt

Grks vry drnt nns fom wh thy hd or h Midd As nd

or th odrn word. or h rks h n ws h dvin nd h nn

th mti, th rvrs o h r ndrstndn But h pobm ws hs.

Th os ntr o dvn don ws h possbt o rin nubrs o th nubr Ths nvovd th srch o h mean ppooth s th nmb whch mdts bwn nd n ohr nubrn such wy h hs h sm rton o ths s hs hs o h ohr nm

br. Thus, bwn nd th n opoon s h nbr 2 snc is rtd to 2 s 2 s to 4 Bt h k skd, wht s h mn proporonbtwn d 2 oos s or hoh s prt nd w cn ndno such nmbr. s h s quson s h on ot h msurn o

th nh o th hd sd o th rht n h is h sqr. I ooss f ditio s.

Bt dton dos not i ds n xc xpsson fo vn thswchd nmbrs, s on W cs th, dn to th humn cond

ton whch smbs his4 W rn to s ht t n ts pc n"noh dnon, wh w now c th don of h uswhch incuds h isnd rron nbs.

Th Gks ndstood h sfcnc of th ct th s n h vstohod of son mthcs nd oc, h w ncounr mpsssnd condcons nd or iinion is s O son howvr, dosno i us or h Grs ths conrdcions nd hs r of on

wr no n xcs or msfcton or psdoios pr. h svd

h s fo h ws rson h cod h buy nd ntccrt of thcs Comntn on th stton n thcs n o

dy W sys

The demand fo pefec go whh obaned n Geek geomees dsappeared

wh hem and now oly whn he las ffy years, are mahemacs reurn-

n o . . The requremen of rgor s no somehng maeral. When ha

requremen s absoue s use n mahemacs s oo obously dsproporon


31/190


32/190

Afcton Loe and Geomety

nar frm Chrstanity fail t nrsan what was trly Gr h fault

is with Chrstianity which blivs itslf t b iffnt frm Gc

W shall nly rmy his vil by rcniin in Gr hht th whl f

th Christian faih ( 465

19

Ev Raissac aois dd o itp ato i huas s

ailg o udrsad, or xapl, ha h asprao for h Good has o

co as a gi o gac o h Good is ad cao co ly o

hua dsi.

I should od ha io Wil dos o lv ha our cvlzao

ca ro Grc alo u ro prChsa auity Gras, Druds,

Ro, Grc, AgoCras, Phocas, gypias, Bayoas), prChisa u Chsa i ssc, ad all of h coag propcis ofh ssial achgs of Chrsiaiy I ac, Wil ivs hat hr was

vr a i wh hr was ot dpo upo arh ad tha Chs is

aways pst ulss popl drv h away whv thr is ci ad

alco

Gs wism mst b ar as th niq src f al iht pn arth

n sch fbl lhts as ths whch illmin th thns f th wl (LP

n

Th Grks gardd gotry as a divi gif ad o rly a huma

achvt, caus lik pory ad a t was h poduct of gus, ad

gus lk wisdo was a dv grac7 Wh th Raissac scuarzdscic ad ahatcs y cug h of ro rigio, th log u

th ffct was to ipovish oth scic ad rligio, scic caus it los

its atio o th ood d uutiul, ad io caus lost

its rlao o culu ad co idvidualsc o aioaisc oWl says:

thin is mr frin t th G than cassical mrn scinc which

maks h mnary frm f wk lav labr h ry prncpl f rpr

sntatn f h w

n sch a pictr th G is atth absnt hrf classical scinc is

with bay i nith tuchs th hat n cntains any wis (SN 2

16

Whil h ssc of ou scic is tchology, whch as pow, h

ssc of Gk scc was asur ad proporio, ad atu was thr-

or aady a kd o rgio I our scic, sh says, jws o though ar

rad lk ha ad als, sujct to our wlls Th Grks dsrd to co

plat i ssil phoa a mag of th Good w dsir to xplo

ad us Ac scc xprssd a uccy, od scc a ack ha

dps wth th passag of i A sh osrvs Oppesson and Lbe


33/190

20 Aficion oe and Geomey

the power that grows s coectve, and, by some unknown aw, as collectivepower grows indvidual power shrnks Therefore ours is smultaneously themost powerful and the most powerless generation in hstory he more pow

erfu we get, the more powerless we aren ooking to see how ths comes about, Simone Wel says there are three

features of he modern world that have grown up together and which she cals

the "three monsrosities of conemporary cvilzaton [ 30] hey are alge

ba, money, and machinery In each of these cases somethng hat stared out

as a means o serve other ends, began to grow monstrousy on s own as acancer does

In algeb it s the process of symbolzaon isel, proleratng ike an ndependent power, deveoping for its own sake and getng furher and urher

away from any human meanng, or indeed from any meanng a all What we

cal "nformation s a good exampe Information s quanttave order,enrey apar from meaning, and lke computers, somethng to whch t

becomes harder and harder o give meanng8

Snce the human mnd cannot comprehend a science but on sgns it does

not understand or isunderstands, t is no wonder that modern science tself

s no understood even by scensts and leads to so many results tha are noprepared for he feelng ha we have hat technology s ou o conrol has ts

roots n a mstake about the naure of algebrac symbos. We beieve msak-eny ha the vaue of an algebrac variable may represen a ful concrete parcuar, wereas actuay i is ony a absract represenaon9 e woe omode science and phiosophy is nfected with this msake.

Somethng smar apples to he second "monstrosiy, money t was org-naly an ntermedary, but now lke an algebrac symbo has aken on a fe

of ts own We have the phenomenon of money generatng money and, evenmore oddly, money itsef becomng rrelevan and beng repaced by cred,and by credt o the second or hrd degree he effects are to produce unre-alty by separatng human efr from its resuls We see hs parcularly asnance captal repaces ndustral captal Wel wrtes

Amo th chaactscs of cac th mo wol o o fort th

mpossby of sa coctly th ato btw ffot a th slt

of ffot oo may mas all th oth cas hs lato whcho hoh ca cmpass s fou a th moy. 0

nally, there is the thrd "monsrosity, the machne, n whch mehod

caness escapes understandng and so assumes a fe of s own he best

exampe s he modern facory, whch Smone Wel studed firsthand he

"fragmentaton of the work, isolating each worker n a tny seemngy unre

laed par, creates the stuaon in whch these brokenof peces can be taken

over by machnes, or he workers hemseves becoe more machinelike n


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C H A T E R 2

Gnois

L

KE TTGEE INE E EIEVED h he mos mpornthng s to tech the menng of the word ow (n the scentfc

sense) F 364 Bu, so like him she dd not beeve th the wy mod-ern scence hs undersood this is the correct scienfic sense. The knol

edge of modern science s removed from he Good it is obsessed ith powernd uy nd subveted to the lusons of progress nd echnoogicl epn

sion. The center of grvity of Smone Weis understnding of scence (nd to

the eent tht i reles to he e Tesment of reigion too) s he

Pyhgoren nd Plonicosis which sees he mhemc nd phiosophicl ineec s mens of grce .

n discussing Po e disingush beeen his o min erms for knowledge, epism nd sis, he fomer suggesing mesure nd he ter nner

ppropriton The noon th s onlyepism th gves ecness nd pecision noon h is p o he modern heresy) is precsely h noion hSimone Wei nd he Pyhgorens nd Poniss rejeced. is he osis ofnellec h hs o do h he nnie nd he prdocl n he mos ecy nd hus hs most o do wih he divine.

We my ke s our e for these proposiions pssge from SimoneWei's ntebooks:

h mt imptant trth:h myti f th faith can b an hav bn u in th am way that

Lnin u th Maia alctic n bth ca cntaictin a a lical crit

rin f r liminat thy ar u by hrw mapulatin f th anath

ma fr th ttal nlavmnt f min y th lct wh iain bth bllin

an srvility f min thy a turn int kan by cntmplatin ut thir

crt lis lwhr It i that thr ar tw iffrnt kin f asn

23


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2 nosis

hr is a sprnatral rason It is th knowl,o of which hrist wasth ky, th knowl of th tth whos spirit was snt by th athr

What is contraictory for natral rason is not so for spnatral ason, bt

th lattr can only s th lanua of h formrvrhlss h loic of suprnatral ason is mor ioos than that of

natral rason

Mathmatics offs s an ma o ths hrarchy

hat is th fnamntal octrn of Pyhaoransm, o Platonsm an of

aly histanty t s th sorc of th oma of th rinity, of th twool

natur of hst in on prson of th alty an nty of oo an vil, an of

transstantiation, which hav bn prsv y almost mraclos potc

ton, on mht thnk, of th Holy Spiitatral rason appli to th mystrs of t fath pocs hsy

h mystris of h faith whn svr om all ason ar no lonr myst

is bt asits

t sprnatural ason only ists in sols which rn with th

spatral lo of Go 109-10

Wel's e connues n a mos asounding way o reae supeaura reasonno only o Chis Paul and ohn of he Coss bu o Odn Osrs Donysus

and Promeheus.ha mahemaca nowledge may be edeeming nowledge is a sece os

o he Wesen wod since he misaen humansm of he Renaissance spiapa science and regon and paved he way or he madness of modenaionalism.

Smone Wei's osis s no he aemp of he human will o asse selfbeyond all ms o seize and possess and cono everyhng bu rahe anawareness ha wha beongs o he supenaura comes as a gif. he signs ohs ae he paadoes and selconadcions encouneed by eac houghSudens o mode ogc now wha diicules have been creaed by hepaadoes discoved by and bearng he names o Berand Russell BuraiFor Grelng aski and ohes Logic has fel se brough o a dead sopunabe o cope wih probems o serefeence consisency compeenessand nondenumerabe inniy

he yhagoreans as Simone Wei poined ou faced wih sima para

does dea wih hem as meaphors or anaoges of he elaions beween hehuman and he divine his was he signicance o incommensurabiy heimpossbiy o indng a whole number or fracion which muliplied by

sef gves he numbe ha here is no such numbe may be egarded as adefea for he ineec and o eacness o knowing o i may be undersood

as ndicaing a furhe nos, a urher openng of possibiesWha is a scandal o naura eason becomes a aluabe cue o supe


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Gnosis 27

We udestad ths bette f we dstgush cosmc aleato fom othekds, such as Max's soca ad Hedegges ooogcal aleao Wa mates fo he s ot seaao fom e oducts of ou wok o fo authe

tc exstece, but seaao fom ou souce, ou home ad destato, byhe vast guf of the hsca wod he sueme symbol of hs s the vastessof cosmc sace ad me The Gostc exeeces a ovewhelmg homesckess lke a cotuous sese of oss The ode ad beauy of the wodmay be eough of a cosolato fo e Geeks, ad fo Smoe el ey aea exesso of he Dve Love Bu the lgh whch lghteh evey humabeg who comes to the wold s fo the Gostc ad fo ths sde of Welofe moe ke a faoff geam that s almos dowed the dakess

The Gostc hlosohes sae o as to emhase th lostess adabadomet of the huma stuato hs s exessed by Smoe We heeomous emhass she uts o aficion as the seod ma fom of theLove of God Whe we cao udesad a eahy ae mafesg lovefo a chd by abadog t, ths s just what Smoe Wel's vew s hehghest om o the ve Love. Love hat oves deste beg abadoed asWel udestads Chst to have doe must self be of dve og. the

huma stuao we ae cofoed by the ossblty of eg able to lovedese the wost afflctos, ad sce s s lealy beyod ou ow owe,t a oy be Dve Love tself that makes t ossble t s theefoe ot theesuecto but Chsts eesso of abadomet o the coss that s thesueme exesso ad evdece of he Love of Love The futhes ossbeo emoved fom od tus ou to be he ot a whh Dve Loveshows tself o be dve .e, beyod huma owe ut eal evertheess

The cosc wod s sef Wel's vso a mafesato of ths same st

uato The St s, as t wee, cuced o he ast dstaces ad ecesstesof sace ad tme a vey Manchea ctue Ad oy f the St had tuya dve chaacte could t suvve ths abadomet ad kee s eye o theLgh

ths s boud to b dstubg to those who stll lk God wth owe,ad fo whom he s the hudeg, tyaca oweweldg God of heOld estamet But ee s othg admable about owe, og weshould wosh thee God s etely emove fom owe, aogehe fee of

t Wodly owe s luso ad boows ts ealy fom ecessty Necessty,showg tself death dsease hge ad seaao, s ot God's ushmet bu Gods absece, whch esues the eaty of hs Love magg God ems of aos o eoes o owes s ojctg colecve egotsms Theages of Pue Lght ad Pue Love do ot toeate hs

Smoe We does ot see God dectg hua hstoy ad tefeg the was ad movemets o eoe ad evets he mae of Heges Unvesa S A that belogs ethe to the shee of huma lusos o o the


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28 Gnosis

necessiies of he social world which imone Weil hough Marsm a isbes had begun o deal wh) This does no mean ha he iri has no nfluence on human hsory, bu ha s influence is very unnoiced and very mys

erous, ke anoher dmenson ouching his world only a sngular sos, asgrace ouches human lives ony in unredicabe and uneeced ways

In he Aeandian Gnosc sysem, he Uimae God is searaed rom heworld by 5 aeons or cosmc saceme dimensions Ths s a myhoogcaleesson of ow fa away he realm of grace s fom he human word. As weconemae he was and horros of hisoy we can undesand his In heManchean sysem, fomuaed by he ersian eacher Ma n he hrd cenuy o ou ea, messengers come from he faaway igh o emind us of ouulmae home, messengers includng esus, Buddha, ooase, and Mani

himselFor mone We he dakness s no an indeenden ealiy sruggling wih

he igh bu he role of he Wold Redeemes s he same or her, and she seeshem al as many versions o Chrs And he ga beween he divne worldand he human wold, wih is indvdua and collecive egos and s endlesssruggles for usoy ower and gloy, is jus as vas.

Among he medeval Cahas in he souh o ance aaenly ogna-ing om he Bogomils n souheasen Euroe), here was a srong endencyo regad he hyscal body isef as an medimen o he siri Hence hosewho asied o sanciy o erfecion absane as much as ossible fom hehyscaaricuarly fom food and se ome Cahas aciced he nduo dyng by eusing o ea here s no doub ha Cahar ideas eercsed aninfuence ove imone Wei as hey dd over amue Becke), bu ey wereaso balanced by an awareness of he sacramena and ncarnaiona asecs o

Chrisany. he more Gnosic and he moe Chisian wee cary n asong ension a ceran ons

Aong odern Gnostcs hee is evdence n Weis noebooks hat shewas acquained wih he eachngs o P. D Ousensky and G I Gurdjefaaeny hrough Mme de azmann he me de . of he noebooks)and Ren auma Wha seems o have ineesed he mos is he idea oansfomaons of enegy, o he ways in which enegy may eihe bedegaded urning no wha Ousensky and urdje caled negaive emo

ons) o made avaiabe or sriua ossibiies n he an wod sun-lgh acs as an enegy ansome o he ood which he lan eceves romhe so so Ousensky and Gurdie sad, he enegy o negaive emoions,ike ange, hae, and ea, may be ransormed by acs of conscious aenonino sriual develomens. Much as he ie of he lan s lived beweengai and sunligh so he human soy akes ace beween he oes ogai and gac


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32 nellec as Grce

Cong ro a renchoan aised n a ypcally iegous not even noinay eish agnosc hoe he expresson eveasng convition is strikng; but even oe s the anicipaon so eay on of he paameters (genius

hou aen ihin hch he srugges and agones of her shor life ereto take place

verything tha happened fro tha tie on (ih a degree of coherenceha akes he beath aay is like a gloss on his ext enty years ate nearing he harrong end brough on by spiiually iposed starvation (hich tsees to e ony those ho have suded he Cahas can even begin oundesand she had coe o see nakedy and ithou evasioni ha verydouble lgh o hich she speaks neectual deachen and identficaionith he sufferngs of otheshat he o role had been

Toay t s not neay enog meey to be a sant, but e must ave te sant

ness emane te pesent moment, a ne saintiness, itse aso tot

peeen . . Te o nees sants o ave gens, jst as a page-stken

ton nees otos (WG 99 taics ae)

Sione We's ife fooed hree distint but inardly uned tracks anyone of hich ould have been possible for her thout he others: (1 theschola and eacher and re on philosophy and region science and his-toy (2 the social acivist evoluionary and ciic of Marxs (3) he anual laboer on asseby lines and in he eds. Al of hese for he equayessential actives epessed her reecon in her on body and ind of hedisncions beeen pure and applied, heoreial and pracical, and absracand concree, hch no odern philosopher (neiher Kerkegaard no Maxnor ietshe) had been able fully to escape ike Wittgenstein and ostoi(ith boh of ho she had so uch in coon in her ove of coon people and spciy and gospe Chrisianiy) she sa in he spiriuali of work(hich she atepted to dene precisely) the ssing facor n our civzaon and hout hich hee is no true civliaon As ohers have said herepseoogy begns ih ok no knoing his crucial factor hch it sno surprse to nd eluding nellectuals is he eeting pace of he econoculural psychoogica and regious

e look fo he secre of Sione Weils nelecua vality and reark

abe oupu and neecua auhoryhere are ten age voues o herritings in the Oeures omples no being pubshed by Gard andnone of he ngs are infeor or an safey be gnored hink ha el nd it n he fist begnnings in phosophy under he uelage of he greatFench hinke Aan (ile Charier 18681951 h ho she suded ahe yce enri IV in aris n he years 19251928 n her itngs for h efis encoune he aveous qualy of eshness and precson tha chaacerzes her genius And e also see her characesc ays of hnking abou


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nellec a ace

magnaton and perception and wll, tnking and acon, he ndividal andoety, pychology nd nce whch he nherted fom Aan a wel a herveneraon fo lato and for Greek mathemac, and her high regard for Kant

pnoz, ad Decarte (on hom he wrote er dertation or he coeNormale iere). A nmbe of thee early eay wrten for Alan arerepnted n te frt vome o te Oee ople n tem her ge aeady flly evdent.

t i in one of hee wring the aen o eedo wren 6 hathe come coet beeve o gvng he deive ce. t how how hendertood hinkin he thinking that w coninay bo n her and came

to her a a gf and not a an effort of w and to which he aready knwheef o be dedcated. t w o cloey connected wh abece of ef o e-effort a to make he term thnkng and "feedom vrtaly nerchangeabe n her grammar We mt bear th n mind when we red "hi eedom God. he hnker here not the Catean ego ("the ef whch kow theelf bt he nprng orce tef, manfeting throgh only when noego or agen in te way f we aiy t n nteect and htan ermit i no far of to debe imone Wei a hamanic and chrmaic)3 eak

ng n nteecta tonge he ay thatGo s boe a eteminatons sice he oes no imt hmse o a sigle ea

he s h ee ee expee he eeom e . an agee a Gmy ow eeom his oneni has he aantage o eeing me om eey

G obect I Go i m eeom he s an es eery ime tha my reeom maniess ise n my ieas an moemens whc s o say eey ime a

I thn. (O 8990)

No hgher vale cold be paced on hinkin and eedom han t. hye beyond logc and law ego and wll, ero and mho in the pace o whchgen and anctty lone have ace and of whc e ay "only by onventon can t be caled "y own, ince notng there beong to anybody.reedom and thnkng ae not obectfale controabe or poeable

h e doe not peak of trh a the orce of freedom bt mpemoe povocatey that reedo the orce o tth. Detachment to aperlatve degree (for eampe rom evey pa and evey ftre permt

the openg of what Wllam lke caled the ntelleca ontai ofmanty and "he nvra oetic Gen that boh lake ad Weiregarded a "he ny re God and dened he New etamen Chi.

ke ake, he ndetood ha hee gft are gven ony on condton thawe do not intend hem for wordy ene and do not ek to e hem. keake h ecognized hat in the Geek prae for "daly bead n the oraye (aon epiousian, the Gek wod epiouian beter tranated pe-btanta o "peeentia o a lake d, " hod ect that


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36 nellec as Gace

uma ife is cast i a third world, the word of iusios This is he woldof powe ad pesige ad privlege, he system of soca lies which s ouday wih he peesios of vai pide The ulers of he socia wod employ

the weapos of ecessiyforce ad deah ad differet ds of ensavemetto maiai thei usory systems of selfmportance Ony here and

hee do we cach mpses of th amds he faasy systems of humanmagiaio

To see a this ceay, o eaize a he ies ad coupio ad powe seeig, wihou eve gog down o ou ees to it ths s the mar of authecspitual eadesome, Sophoces, Plato, esus, those who efused to suc

cumb o he idoay of butaty ad forceI this imagay wold of idoatry, there s o Paoc ream of ideas.0Thee is oy atua ecessiy, mateiality wth al its graviy and force bearig dow o us. ut he usos of he huma ego, collectve and ndvdual,have o eay but oy he appeaace of As f acoss a ine abyss,taces of the uh ad the Good, ow oly by gace, each us in ou daess ad bldess

We may hus distiguish hee eams [o leves, or dmesios] huma

illuso, he atua wod, ad supeatual tuh othe wods existece,ecessity, ad mpossibty:

Enc o shadow eay so, he imagay, pesge, socia powe,god, pde, es, wa, ideoogy, he appearane of jutice, fame, opnion

ecessi o sod reay mate, space ad ime, gavty, causalty, foce,affctio, birth, eatg, disease, death, loss, desucto

mpossibili, o manifest reay [sc manifest oy to ove, by grace ascendece, dvine ove, anonymou ove of eighbo, rder, beau,truth, humlt, fedship, paadox, aetio, affictio as a meas ofgace, school studies as deveopme of attetio

The eam of Exsece has he chaace of a dam, as i Plato's Cave

Imagiatio ues, as it does social lfe ad wa I is sgificat tha itwas a miay ma, Napoleo, who sad, magiato rues the wold

Sioe Wes istao fo the unreaity of this socia power or presige is

a box of old medas, fo which me fough ad ded, ow a chld's payhg

fo a ainy aftenoo A eality test is, ow would oo fom he Geat Nebua in Andomeda u eve Neessy canot wake us fom our dreams ofgoy Oy what is humanly speaig Impossiby, the supeaural, cando :

We mu u impsibiity in t emege m e eam tae N 410)


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ntllct Grac 4

do Approprael, s modern logic and modern mahemaics whchhave shown boh o be usor

4 Prspctialism claiming ha "o hin s o ae up a perspecve, generaed he insolube episemoogical problem of how o unie he prvaesubec wih he deached obec ha confrons

The e word for he new wa of hining s "descrpon when hs wordhas los all of is overones of compee oga mapping We are looing nofor eacness bu for descrpon so deached, so penerang, so obvous hai has he characer of revelaon16 hs s a ind of seeng n which he ord-nar becomes ranslucen a nd pracced b Simone Wel and Wigensein.Their hinng isef becomes a nd of oong.

Such "seeing enails and invoes eaphors and anaoges ha change oursrucures of eanng. he da is pas when philosoph was concerned wihnowedge7 is concerned now wh eaning and undersanding We seenow ha nowledge self does no bring undersandng, ha ever da wenow more and more bu undersand ess and ess

he acs ha are brngng abou he disnegraion of our civilizaon havegained he upper hand in hs cenu, and i ma be oo ae o reverse hsI was Sone Weil's belief ha [in al human probabili] our civilizaon willno survve bu one da wi simp sop orng and brea down compeelo undersand how his came abou, o ae nvenor of our failures and saesha would be worh doing so ha we would no go down whol n hedar and hose who come afer us mig sll earn from us O 108124.

Wih he Renassance he sense of wha lies beond he human will waslos and insead he eension of scienc nowedge and power appeared o

be wihou mis Ths has ed o he loss of hun poporions he fragmenaion o cuure, and echnoog ou of conro As his spreads hemass media and he power of polca manpulaon grows our culure sicens wh unrea and he inab o dscern ea from i Renassancehubis has been overaen b s nmesis

Our cviaon wil onl be revved b and rebuil on a renewed hun Smone We's words "he on supernaural virue On b fndnghs again in he orgnal souces of our civizaion w we be able o survive

and pass no he new wold of he posechnologca age.8


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H T 4

Canto Ininity and the ilence

NE E REMS MAEMATIANS of our me Dad Hbeonce descbed mahemaics as "he scence of he nne hesaemen is usied by he fac ha each of he gea momens n

he hory of ese mahemacs has been characerzed by a discoery and

a canda beaing on he ueon of he nne: h sixh cenury befoeChis when he Pyhagoreans dcoered he "ncommenuraby of cean enghs o wha ae came o be caled aional numbes; he seeneenh cenur of ou era which inoduced he nniesmals ha becamehe basi of cacus and moden cence; and he nneeenh cenuy hepeiod of Georg Cano ansfine

o descibe each of hese hee dealing wih he inne as a hock bohmahemaca nd cuura woud be an undesaemen Plao saw he philo-

sophical mpcaions of ncommensurabiiy a mporan enough o shakeu a whoe ciilizaion and labeled anyone who did no know abou a"pg1 Geoge Bekeley n he egheenh cenuy poked fun a he dea of anyuany beng nnely sma whe pasans of won and eibnz foughoer whic one desered he pioiy n haing made hese dscoeres rshe reacon of some mahemacans o Canor as ha he belonged n amena hospa (where n fac he dd spend some ime

ha has made his subjec of he nne, when conneced wh ou mos

exac scence of mahemaic so ouchy? Is no because we hae here hemos paadoxca and myserous of resus aached o ulmae hngs in aprecse way Consder he Pyhagorean dscoey In s smples and mosshockng form we have a gh angle iange wh wo sdes eual n bengone uni long each ow urns ou ha here s no exac number whch canrepresen he hrd sde, he ypoenuse no combnaion of negers and frac

42


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44 Cano nfini and the Silence

panhism and h a h formr with agnosicism. Mos dsubing oosans has bn homass concion of h analog of ing whicKarl at calld an nnon of h d snc assts ha ng s a un

sa common dnomnator btwn od and craus Scous bd n"h uno of ng which mans ha ing ma ha a singl] man-ing no on analogcall

Lt us no parnhcall ha hr of h mos nnoai thinkrs ofour tm ha bn Scotists ad Manl Hopkins th pot ChalsSands Pic h Amrcan phlosoph and Matn Hdgg manphosoph Hdgg bgan his book eing and ime wih h quson"Wha s th manng of ng? no Wha is th manng of h wodng? but "Wha is h maning of eing?" his qustion could onl bprop askd and answd b a Scoist And Hidggr wro hs docoaldissaion on Scotus Hidggs phiosoph fnds th maning of ing ob pesenting a dcson for which h is Nw samn auhoi.

And now o Cano f w simp imagnd an aihmtic in which addinginfint o infn gs nfinit subacing infn gis infini mulipling inni and so on h su is alwas us infinit agan. Cano's inia ga disco was ha h a diffn powes of ifiiiffnkinds of infnind h was abl o sabsh his ahmaica

Imagin a u gadd in such a wa ha bwn an wo numbssma ad smalr facios a packd so ha i would sm ha al spas

ar ni illd up wih facions and bwn an wo fations w canimagn an infnit of ohrs I is on wa of maginng an infnit of poinsin spac

Now coms Cano to us ha nthlss h in is still mpt Whnw ook a th n in ms a incud h iaiona numbs th amo mpt spacs han fild ons. f w fl in al h iaiona numbs aswl as th ationa ons w will ha a lin with infnitl again mo poinson han bfo. With a simp agumn known as h Diagonal Pof

Canor was ab o sablish his amaing sul H did it b showin how oconsruc squncs of infini dcimals ach dcima diffng in a las onplac from h dcima pcding i Each on of hs infnit dcmas p-snd a nw numb ha could not b matchd o an prou numbr.Whil h n numbs coud b machd on fo on wih h whl num-bs hs irraional numbs could no b h s kind of numbs wdnumab o counabl n his wa h scond kind could not so bmachd and cound and hfo consud a sl ga infn


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ano nfini and he Silence

Smoe Wel's eplct efereces o Co her oteboos re so codesed ht s ofe dfcult o ell ht she s gettg t seems cerhoee h o he he elto betee Cors ssm d heology s oe of logy o emple the follog

n "Cnors Prise the min hs got o e very muh leer moe e ninuiie hn nyhere ese n he e o e mysees of heooy N362)

Noe the phrse peheses Ad hs

rniniue no. Somehng ies ehin the vey highe N 420)

e epresso "e ey hghes mus be rerrg o o he e bu oCtors fes. Ad g

Anogy ening or he nonpprehensile uous Cnor Use of mhe-mais (

he "use o mhemcs mus reer hee o og d he emples reEudous d Co. Eudous ssoce o Po he ouh ceury B.c,deeloped the "method of ehuso clled by Dogees erus he "heo of crooked es o surg e crce b m se d smesegms of he cce to ges u e coud see th he thesebecome ely sm squre becomes crcle or reersg hs cees Couplg hs h Ctor e he o oges for he reobeee he te d he te d ths beee the de d te

hum We ust ot cofuse ee fe mbes th he de Wesys "hee s o supete Nmber N ). s o e derbes such s Goodess uh d Beu re beyod y umbersee he e umbers he rscedels e beyod ee them d ofcourse beyod Arsotle' e cegres to hch the scholstcs couerposed them.

seems o me h Wel dsgushes beee Cor's mhemcs dhe superul he she spes of Grce s somehg fely bg o he

secod ode hs s o be udesood logclly

re of inine (ed Cno.]My msery s innie ih rspe o my i b s inie h respe o

gre Gre s somehing nniey g o he eon oerBu my miey i h epe o Ge finie no nfniey sml N 249)

Cor's seres of fes re ce beg eferred o he logery


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48 ano nfini and h Silnc

How ae we to think of atheatics in elation to the supernatura? We calsatheatics an "iage of ealit and as such it is a principal revelaton of

the beaut of the word e w eca hat fo Pao, as uch of a Pthagorean as he was, nubers ranked below the ors or Ideas because the are notas unversal and sepaable uniue and unita as he ors1 One of Plaospa uses of the word mau is o refer to nubers hih for hi sandbetween the ors o Ideas and the sense world Weil vastl extends he useof the wod mau o over all ediators between dvine and huan

Let us take a oen o look once ore at he uesion of necesst oSone Wei neesst is xperiened b us as th bows of the wrld; but isknown to intellgene and best revealed trough atheatis is thus conneted on one sde o the horros and iseries of huan life and on he oher

o te beaut of he word Such neessit s a irst inarnation of the divneods fist showngb withdrawa and abandonen rst, wo reveaedthe eaning of this as Love, is the seond inarnaion We a describe eek

geoet as a prophe of s through its antiipaing neesst as Divneove

A neessit s nelletual necessit, even tha whih is fe and seenwithin the vaious knds of bute force in the wod B the bea o hewold, whh she sas is the on eal beaut there is goes far beond thsthe sea, te ountans, he tees the ngh sknd we co a ie bnot seeing all hs and ontepatng t o w an nd iddn in this foreand neessi and beaut he atheatial onordanes whh, even though

ultiael inoprehensible to us fu, ake he ages of perfet odeand he ood

hs s sued up in the folowng passage

One oe doube hr o hec when one regr it on rion nd

btc peuton It i ht but i lo he er ene of nue ene

tol onree nd lo tim oe three together n nepb

191

What does hs word "sts ean here? Suel that whch eads us topatpaton n the supernatura mau and an niteent to knowledgeof the third kind as this idea appears n phiosophers and saints, in Pato andSpinoza and ohn of the Coss When Wel speaks of ode atheatis asonened onl wih ational and abstra speuaton, she s refeing ain

o agebra, whih she beeves sne the te o te Bablonians has been onthe wrong tak, tough now it has prtia taken over the whoe word

ina, we coe to one of he os profound and sterious passages in


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o ano nfini and he Silence

element The ote side is in the tanscendent concodance known b gacehe aoiateness as we see is in the sensible wod but also in te tran-scendenta one oth are subjects fiting to deeest contemation

oth Simone Wei and Geog Canto ou sure shows are firmlancored in the Patonic tradition of acual infini both natural and suernatual the tradition of Augustine Scotus Cusa uno and Pasca and bothrejected the otential infnte of Arstote Aerroes and Thomas.1 The iineInnite and the naua innite are for them two forms of the actual innit

en Simone Wei in describing her utimate and most comete reigiouseeence soke of entering an innit beond infinit and een an in-it beond tha and a sience beond silence and een a thid degee ofsience beond that she as cear echoing the transluent mahemaics ofCano Through te means of this mos recen ineectua undersanding ofthe innie she was coneing he tota siriual aiciation in he suernatura


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H T 5

T. E Lawence an thePuification of Evil

A E AUS EN AND WEN whom Smone We mghhve nged ou o whoeheredy ove nd dmre e gredel bou her h he only one o whom he ek n h wy w

he Brh ml genu ( Church ced hm nd epc nhero

wrence. I my eem urprng h oldercholr who wen o uchlengh o cree nd hen o repude myhc peron ner he umm ofmlry power n World Wr I oud hve been ledng npron or lefwng Prn nellecul mmered n pcfm, rde unonm, Mrm nd fnly Chrn pruly Ye here were deep ffne beweenhem nd le Andr Mlru who lo w fcned by wrence, SmoneWe coud v e pobem h wence epoe d uggedwh l h lfehow o preerve pury of con n he md of whrlwnd

rce. w n 38, u fer he pubcon o wrence L (e ded n

35 fer mny yer of eekng oymy prve oder nd r focemechnc), h Smone Wel wroe o he edor of h voume, vd Grne long leer (n Englh) begnnng

al I w tat y ra ras fr writig t yu wit iprssib gratful

[is fr itig t lttr f Lawr? I adly w r ta i abfr radig t Seven Plla, ad at rgnizd tat r was t

a fas i istry, I wt say i ur ti but i all tis wn t ,w I a wlatdly l ad adir ad I a sarly abl t bar t

wldg tat is dad . . . . a alway ttd, abt pat ad rt awll a abt prst ad atual tigs, btw adrati ad rrr fr r-ty ad wardi ar al rribl t , yt a all ma rlati ar rr lss basd up s fr f slary, it is pssbl t t b itr rul rwardly r bt.

5


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52 E Lawence and he Puificaion of Eil

n h leer Wel mention two thing that made her love and admreLawrence fr h effort while engaged n the mo age deet warfare toeep lling and cruelty to a mimum and econd hi trong ene of

human equaly and h nablty to lve n company wih oher except nreaon o f equalty He a he aid one of thoe mot rare men for

whom equality in al human relaion i a necea a he vey ar teybreathe wa th necety hat came n confct wih Lawrence motring and engmaic feaure h remarabe charma whch when he

wihed to ue itfor wa apparenly n h conrolould hold peope (even

peope e Chuchill) in a pell Remarable a the charima wa moeremaable wa he refual to ue t We etter te why

awrene learighte enugh t knw that amng men in general nt

equality but pwer an rhing ubrinatin ha been i an will be the rule; le impible r him. . . . aving ue men either enemie r ervant

r allie a mateial t be gine [c r hi w en thugh the en werent pernal he ul nt rgive hime that he ha gaine gry in thi yan that he un unvluntary c pleaure in the glry pn him

For We wa Lawrence double aarene of the extent o which power

rule he world (boh in nature and the human oul) and the fact that thi wanevethee an aboluey detetable hng which made her admre hm ahe admred e ame combinaon in the ancient ree 3 he extra urn ofthe nife for Lawrence wa preciey hi being a natural leade wih a mag-netim ie a force of naure which made many thin of exander andNapoleon ( Churchill dicerned hee i no eling whee mght haveaen him) u thi power peled domnaion over oher the very breach ofhuman equaly ha a mo repugnant o him Wel a on the ma whenhe aed Who now he whole een of the empre of mght and at the

ame me depe it? and anwered T E Lawrence the iberator of rabawa one (C 6)

Lawrence life and worldview turn on he ame duality a Simone Weil

on the one ide the hardhip and ery of the word and the luion and fa-

ity of the human wold brought home to u in ou bodie and on the otherhand the unrelentng equiement to dicove and mantain nonegoiic ee

dom and ntegrity For both of them fe wa an odeal: a eie of tal in hoie circumtance where they were hed (by what?) to impoible demandhe upeme ymbol of thi wa the deet wth i implacable indiffeence

and aweome auerity where Lawrence ordeal reached it frt apogee Th

wa the etting for gruelng hardhip decribed n The Seen llas of Wisdom endle mile of forced mache in ling heat alternating with freezngnght; long peiod of thit and hunge dieae and delirium ambuhe andbetrayal; and the daiy and nighty mmediacy of deah and dying When he


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54 E Lawence and the Puification of Eil

he Spanish i War, whee she cauh a limpse of he random bruaiy ofwar before ben musered ou by a random camp accdent8 Her nal ordealas a manual worer, of picin rapes in he ineards of Gusae Thbon in

the souh o France, she confessed she was able o compete only "by the hepof race

Lawrences adu le was spent in the mtar (wrtin in is spare tmebut n mpossible stuaons, rst eadin a srane and dicut foren peope, an hen as a priate soldier under an assumed name amon his own1

Seen Pillas s about he Arab Reolt, bu t is also a study of he Arabs, theirmentalty and spirit, unertaen with he detachment of a poet and hstorianwho neer orets the dsance tha separates him from the peope he leads11t is air to say that this second sde o Lawrence was o no nterest to SmoneWe, whe t was o ery reat nterest to riends lie M Forster and . M.ouhty, who wih oher promnent literary fiures o he day, Henry Jamesand H Lawrence, 1 to name only two, were always entrally concernedwth "natona character

n her noteboos we nd Simone Weil many tmes referrin to T . Lawrencen remars on he naure o action and the pricatn of ei What consti-ue enune cion, he says, i not what we mine that we would do in aien stuation, bu what n moments of decision, n the lih of an "ealaention, 1 we nd that we cannot help doin Genuine action is what thereis no aterntie to don Weil offers s an example Lawrence oin bac o

loo or he Arab wh ad ost his way (N 30)Such actons are imposed by he situation itsef clearly peceed heysprin from it and express it, she says n erms o her muleel perspeci-aism, and one o her faorite metaphors, such actions brin he otherwisechaoti elements o a stuation into a unique balance and then the scaleshemsees tip one way or he oher The bod, which an only do one thinat a time, is he ponter on he balance, whie motes, desires, and incinaions are the wehs

The essental condon is he equal attenion in which the " is absentand, as she puts it, he person behnd t does not appear he choce s nowno ust an arbitrary persona one, but necessar s not a eap o despera-tion but the result o thinin that is muc more hn what s usually calledby that name For what most people call thinin s smply consultn theirpreudces and attachmens and ndidua or roup inerests Lawrencestinin could be called pondering (hus Seen Pillas of Wisdom, chapter 33)and s cerai wha Robert Graes had in mind when he sad, "n al my


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E awence and he ificaion of Eil 55

cquintnce I now no moe hn hee people who rell hink nd hesehee include wence Weil obseves ht Hmle does no now how toonempte in his w1

As n emple of enune detched tion noneheess decisve fobein dehed nd l he moe whole o ben impesonl she ies hehagaad ia nd pphses i

one sitates onese at a given moment o time one no onger as te oe a given moment one is no ree to o anytng atever. An one mstaet ts intena neessity aet at one is, at a given moment as a at

even ones same. ( 56

Wh mes boh thnn nd cton pue is he bsence of sef which ist he sme ime he bsence of foce Bu it is no in he w n whih sef msometmes seem bsen fom cimnt o fncism. Not to be presen inn con mens no o be ched o it in n espect whehe s usen ide or beief wences hment o the use of he Arbs suelwholeherted enouh ws neveheess deched enouh o be he subec ofconnuous weness nd sud o remember who ou re n Hindu

nostc Suf o Cstn pnce ws res ts remove wih tWould wrene hve been be o t n this w if he hd been on he losn side or nicped osn? We foret h he was on the losin side ndth he did ntiipe this. He new ht whoeve hd he mos powe hew's end woud determine he ems of vitor edless of who ot o mscus fis o wh promises hd been mde. Powe no ustie would setlethe ouome

No ben pesen n on does not me bein imuned o the suf-

fern involved but rthe he contrthe suffern is vsl ncesedbeuse h humn bond s no se side.

One mst be very re to o evi. An i one is re, oing evi is torre.

Laene Wa emey exsts? A goo ea o onsraint is neessary, an e

beings ae sieny e to be abe to ane ore. ( 8

he remove from self nd hoste roup denion estbishes nd evesequit wih he enem moe prtiull i dds to one's suffen fo one

ees then h the enem's sufen is s sincnt s fiend's. Cmnlsnd fnts on he ohe hnd ssume he omnpotence h isoltes ndpriviees he vcimie beore his vitm

Smone Weil found hs impi beonn o he h ton purifies evilsmboled b he equ mind nd he olden sces of Zeusinhe exs both of he liad (bou which she wroe one of he mos bintesss) nd of he Seen llars Such mprtt s ver difcut to chevend mntn nd rr out full in prcice Even when wrence ws nble


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60 Mar Opprsson and Lb

stuctbe n Marx (f anthng) and what s "meager superfca andmedocre Wat s permanent and wha s obsolete

The ne beween the two te permanen and e obsolete we wl nd she

drew decsvel and unevocall She s nsntng n her prase of wha sheregards as Marxs "great dscover hs "dea o gnus hs thogh "of nfnte vaue. But se fees on sco for the "nonsense and "foolsness and"sperstton no wc she beeves e also

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