Christian Platonism of Simone Weil - by E Jane Doering & Eric O Springsted (Paperback)

About the Book

Essays that discuss how Simone Weil was indebted to Plato and how her readings of Plato challenge contemporary philosophy, theology, and spirituality.

Book Synopsis

In this book a group of renowned international scholars seek to discern the ways in which Simone Weil was indebted to Plato, and how her provocative readings of his work offer challenges to contemporary philosophy, theology, and spirituality. This is the first book in twenty years to systematically investigate Weil's Christian Platonism.

The opening essays explore what actually constitutes Weil's Platonism. Louis Dupré addresses the Platonic and Gnostic elements of her thought with respect to her negative theology, and the Christian Platonism of her positive theology as found in her reflections on beauty and the Good. Michel Narcy provides a close historical reading of Weil and discusses the degree to which her teacher Alain influenced her Platonism. Michael Ross contends that Weil's interest in Plato is in "ethical Platonism." Essays by Robert Chenavier and by Patrick Patterson and Lawrence E. Schmidt consider the importance of matter and materialism in Weil's Platonism and argue that it is key to understanding her political thought.

A middle group of essays addresses more classically metaphysical themes in Weil's thought. Vance G. Morgan examines her use of Greek mathematics. Florence de Lussy analyzes Weil's distinctive, mystical Platonic reflections on Being in the last notebooks from Marseilles. Emmauel Gabellieri discusses Weil's "metaxology," that is, the mediation and relatedness of Being, shown in her speculative thought. Martin Andic underlines the importance of her notion of attention.

The final set of essays considers Weil's relevance for contemporary spirituality and moral theology. Cyril O'Regan examines her thinking on violence and evil. Eric Springsted looks at the conceptual links that exist between Weil and Augustine. Finally, David Tracy contends that Weil is the foremost predecessor of recent attempts to reunite the mystical and prophetic.

Drawing together some of the top Weil scholars in the world, this collection offers important new insights into her thought, and will be appreciated by philosophers and theologians.

Review Quotes

". . . a veritable intellectual feast to be discovered when one opens this volume. This is indeed a strong collection of essays. It brings together some of the brightest Weil scholars in the world, all focusing on the crucial topic of Weil's Christian Platonism. Doering and Springsted are to be thanked for making these fine essays available to the reading public." --Cahiers Simone Weil

"Anyone interested in Simone Weil will want, and need, to read this superb collection." --Diogenes Allen, Princeton Theological Seminary

"These 12 essays by a group of international scholars discuss the ways in which Simone Weil (1909-1943) was indebted to Plato and how her readings of Plato challenge contemporary philosophy, theology, and spirituality." --Theology Digest

"This is a book of essays by different authors-some principally scholars of the work of Simone Weil, others philosophers of religion and theologians-whose general area is indicated by the title. It is a book to be welcomed, if only because Weil's work is important and interesting, but, with one or two notable exceptions, is little discussed in mainstream English-speaking philosophy of religion. . . this is a book worth reading." --Ars Disputandi

"This remarkable and penetrating collection of essays on Simone Weil's religious philosophy illumines the living intersection between serious metaphysics and ethics. The authors carefully examine this relation that much post-modern reflection has until now searched after only to skim, but that Weil herself managed to embrace with breathtaking intellectual discipline and self giving. The book as a whole is a bracing testimony to the deep moral consequences of classical ontology and its challenging Christian reorientation." --The Rev. Dr. Ephraim Radner, Ascension Episcopal Church, Pueblo, Colorado

". . . provides a helpful analysis from different perspectives of Weil's original approach to Plato. It sheds light on Plato and interpretations of Plato, as well as on Weil's thought." --Faith and Reason

"A distinguished and timely collection. Throughout these essays, the richness of Weil's thought emerges over against the complexity of the Platonic tradition. As such, the volume makes a notable contribution to Weil scholarship and to the contemporary revival of Christian Platonic theology." --John Kenney, Saint Michael's College

"Devoted to the importance of Platonism to Weil, this anthology also undertakes a broad attempt to measure, through the lens of her work, the potential for a renewed appropriation of Plato for Christian self-reflection. Part of a recent trend toward the recovery of Plato as a philosopher of wisdom and ethical pertinence as well as of technical accomplishment, the essays here contribute significantly both to that recovery and to the study of Weil herself." --Religious Studies Review

"These essays--some written by leading specialists in Simone Weil's thought, others by prominent philosophers of religion and theologians--are especially valuable not only for elucidating Weil's reading of Plato but also for showing what one or another form of Christian Platonism (and there are several!) can mean for us today." --James A. Wiseman, O.S.B., The Catholic University of America

"This volume is a welcome addition to the small but developing body of literature on Weil's thought. It brings together the most important strand of recent North American and French scholarship on Weil. This collection would be a valuable place to start reflection in this direction for Christian thinkers with such concerns." --Scottish Journal of Theology

About the Author

Eric O. Springsted is co-founder and President of the American Weil Society.