The SPCK Introduction to Simone Weil

by Stephen Plant

Publisher:

SPCK

, 2007

Overview

Simone Weil was one of the most original philosophers and political thinkers of the twentieth century. During her life, her writings were almost unknown beyond a few close friends. Only after her death at age 34 did her work reach a wider audience, including Pope John XXIII, Pope Paul VI, Simone de Beauvoir, Leon Trotsky, and Iris Murdoch.

Weil was born in 1909 to nonpracticing Jewish parents and was an agnostic until her late twenties, when she became a Christian. She had a refreshing creativity and a rare ability to confront theological complacencies. She wrote about the nature of God, the nature of work, suffering, the importance of improving conditions for factory workers, and our duty to our community. She addressed key philosophical, theological, and ethical issues, many of which are as important today as they were in her own time. Here, Stephen Plant makes Weil’s often complex and challenging thought accessible to a wide audience. He outlines a few of the central themes of Weil’s thought and provides short extracts from her writings. This revised and expanded edition is an ideal introduction to Weil for both students and the general reader.

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Key Features

• Introduces the life and ideas of this original philosopher and political thinker
• Analyzes Simone Weil’s thinking from a Christian perspective
• Discusses the lasting effect of this influential individual

Contents

• Simone Weil’s Life
• Weil’s Understanding of God
• Loving God in a World Full of Pain
• The Need for Roots
• Simone Weil: The Last Cathar?

Praise for the Print Edition

Stephen Plant . . . is to be warmly thanked and congratulated on producing such an attractive, clear, and well-ordered introduction to her life and thought. The book will be useful for general readers and students alike. His own writing is richly enhanced by many quotations from Weil’s output.

—Ministry Today

Product Details

• Title: The SPCK Introduction to Simone Weil
• Author: Stephen Plant
• Publisher: SPCK
• Publication Date: 2007
• Pages: 128

About Stephen Plant

Stephen Plant is dean and director of studies in theology at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, and a lecturer at the University of Cambridge, Faculty of Divinity. He has worked in ministry in Hammersmith, as Europe Secretary of the Methodist Church, and as a lecturer in theology at the University of Durham. He is the editor of SPCK’s bimonthly journal, Theology, and has written or edited several books on Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Simone Weil.