A Conversation With Simone Weil

Discussion of articles that appear in the magazine.

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Nick_A
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Re: A Conversation With Simone Weil

Post by Nick_A »

Harbal wrote:
Nick_A wrote: Ignoring is never sufficient for the clique. They will gather in deep philosophical discussion and the leader will proclaim that humanity is suffering a witch, Then they will carry their lighted torches to her last known address only to learn she had already died. They will bemoan the fact that they have missed their opportunity to defend the Great Beast by slaying the witch. Then after five beers proclaim an oath to be more observant so the next one doesn't get away. Peace and love must be protected from these troublemakers. Once the ruckus has subsided the snowflakes hiding in their safe spaces will be given the all clear to resume their normal activities. The world is saved.
Please be assured, Nick, I won't do any of this.
Oh yes you will. You are inclined to be part of a mob and subject to mob rule. When the mob lights its torches and attacks, you will be an eager part of it. Your attitude will protect you from the responsibility of impartial reasoning which is poison for the mob. The snowflakes will celebrate you for protecting them.
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Harbal
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Re: A Conversation With Simone Weil

Post by Harbal »

Nick_A wrote:
Oh yes you will. You are inclined to be part of a mob and subject to mob rule. When the mob lights its torches and attacks, you will be an eager part of it. Your attitude will protect you from the responsibility of impartial reasoning which is poison for the mob. The snowflakes will celebrate you for protecting them.
It is truly amazing how much you can tell about my character just from the mere fact that I find Simone Weil's face rather unpalatable. But, then again, I suppose I'm doing the same thing to you by putting you down as a drama queen just because you tend to run around like a headless chicken for no apparent reason.
Nick_A
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Re: A Conversation With Simone Weil

Post by Nick_A »

Harbal wrote:
Nick_A wrote:
Oh yes you will. You are inclined to be part of a mob and subject to mob rule. When the mob lights its torches and attacks, you will be an eager part of it. Your attitude will protect you from the responsibility of impartial reasoning which is poison for the mob. The snowflakes will celebrate you for protecting them.
It is truly amazing how much you can tell about my character just from the mere fact that I find Simone Weil's face rather unpalatable. But, then again, I suppose I'm doing the same thing to you by putting you down as a drama queen just because you tend to run around like a headless chicken for no apparent reason.
The clique mentality always attacks what it doesn’t understand and finds strength and self justification in numbers. If it didn’t have this fault it wouldn’t be a clique.

Albert Camus wrote: Simone Weil, I still know this now, is the only great mind of our times and I hope that those who realize this have enough modesty to not try to appropriate her overwhelming witnessing.

T.S Eliot wrote: A woman of genius, of a kind of genius akin to that of the saints.

Malcolm Muggeridge wrote: In my opinion, the most luminous intelligence of the twentieth century.

Thomas Merton wrote: ….without her non-conformism and mysticism we remain not human.

An article was posted by an author impressed with Simone. I chose to elaborate on Simone in accordance with the thread. If that makes me a drama queen then we need more drama queens.

You choose to attack and ridicule that which you don’t understand and I choose to try and understand the depth of these people, especially those sensitive to Christianity, the clique wishes to destroy through the force of its own ignorance. I don’t see what is so attractive about this attitude regardless of how fashionable it has become.
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Harbal
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Re: A Conversation With Simone Weil

Post by Harbal »

Nick_A wrote:
Albert Camus wrote:
I'm not interested in what Albert Camus wrote.
T.S Eliot wrote:
I don't care what T.S. Eliot wrote.
Malcolm Muggeridge wrote:
Malcolm Muggeridge was even weirder than you, Nick, I give not a fig what he wrote.
Thomas Merton wrote
Who?
that makes me a drama queen
Indeed it does, Nick.
You choose to attack and ridicule that which you don’t understand
What I was actually ridiculing was you, Nick. You are completely nuts, I understand that much.
and I choose to try and understand the depth of these people, especially those sensitive to Christianity
That's because you don't know any better.
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Greta
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Re: A Conversation With Simone Weil

Post by Greta »

Nick_A wrote:Greta wwrote: Nick_A wrote:
Can you admit that you don’t know what an objective human perspective is if it exists? Simone believed it must exist and wanted to experience it.

As far as I can tell, "objective human perspective" pertains to the ideals of science and law.
The overwhelming majority will agree with you which is why our species is headed for a self created catastrophe. People are unwilling to open to an objective human perspective and insist on arguing subjective human perspectives thinking they are the same and that their subjective human perspective is actually objective human perspective.

The Great Beast encourages this confusion calling it an ideal diversity of opinions and we all create our own reality. The Great Beast then devises a political system to keep the people in line while telling them the proper Beast version of objective reality.
This is science. Someone says "x is true". Someone else says "y" is true. Other are confused, so they test it. The test and the stored knowledge of the result is the first glimmer of science. There lies your "great beast". Fact checking. Not being a sucker who believes anyone's big claims just because they use strong persuasive techniques.

What is the benefit of this religious "life hack" that you claim to have that secularists lack? It's hard to say from forum chat, but as far as I can tell you are a rather negative thinker and seemingly not especially happy.

This is that secularists see when theists try to convince them that they have something special that secularists lack. They see people who believe bizarre, unfounded things, who are eager to fight, who hold irrational hatreds regarding sex and gender, and generally coming across as miserable, angry people clinging to a psychological life raft and trying to convince others that their raft is an ocean liner to hide their vulnerability. (As if there is anything wrong with being vulnerable).

If you want to convince others that your way will be good for them, then you yourself need to exude the kind of goodwill, balance, realism, understanding and even-handedness that others would wish to emulate - to demonstrate the benefits. As the cliché goes, "Be the change that you wish to make". Personally, I'm not trying to change anything, mostly just watching the show.
Nick_A
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Re: A Conversation With Simone Weil

Post by Nick_A »

Greta wrote:
This is science. Someone says "x is true". Someone else says "y" is true. Other are confused, so they test it. The test and the stored knowledge of the result is the first glimmer of science. There lies your "great beast". Fact checking. Not being a sucker who believes anyone's big claims just because they use strong persuasive techniques.
No. Analysis of facts is one thing and an objective human perspective is another. If facts are ever analysed within the domain of an objective human perspective they can become more objectively meaningful.
What is the benefit of this religious "life hack" that you claim to have that secularists lack? It's hard to say from forum chat, but as far as I can tell you are a rather negative thinker and seemingly not especially happy.
"Man - a being in search of meaning." - Plato

The secularist believes the source of human meaning is the earth and society upon it. The religious person believes the source of meaning is from a level of reality far above that of the world. The secularist strives to become more attached to the world while the religious person seeks to sacrifice attachment for the sake of opening to “meaning.”
This is that secularists see when theists try to convince them that they have something special that secularists lack. They see people who believe bizarre, unfounded things, who are eager to fight, who hold irrational hatreds regarding sex and gender, and generally coming across as miserable, angry people clinging to a psychological life raft and trying to convince others that their raft is an ocean liner to hide their vulnerability. (As if there is anything wrong with being vulnerable).
You refer to secular theists who for some reason have ruined the religious experience for themselves and turned it into earthly conflicts. The Great Beast smiles its approval. Apparently you are yet to meet authentic religious people in real life.

The authentic religious experience allows a person to build upon personal experience by admitting we lack the quality of conscious attention which would enable us to impartially see and hear
Matthew 13: 16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
Secularists will argue over what what was seen and heard while the authentically religious person knows how selectively anything was seen and heard leading to an endless battle of opinions. The esoteric paths will in their own way help in a person’s ability to consciously see and listen when the student is ready.
If you want to convince others that your way will be good for them, then you yourself need to exude the kind of goodwill, balance, realism, understanding and even-handedness that others would wish to emulate - to demonstrate the benefits. As the cliché goes, "Be the change that you wish to make". Personally, I'm not trying to change anything, mostly just watching the show.
I don’t want to convince anyone of anything. This is a philosophy site which theoretically should respect the search for meaning. If it prefers to ridicule it what is there to exude? In real life I’m Mr. Wonderful in the afternoons with my nursing home and assisted living shows. I allow residents to forget about life for a while and partake in music and humor. When I play at a piano bar in the evening, humor and good vibes are part of it. My inner or esoteric activities take place at other times.

Simone Weil — 'Art is the symbol of the two noblest human efforts: to construct and to refrain from destruction.'

There also is a quality of expression dedicated to the destruction of human value and or the search for meaning. There are those who feel justified through aimless destruction simply because they lack human understanding. In reality they have niether seen or heard anything due to bad experiences in their lives. I try to be human as opposed to a fighting automaton. It offers more satisfaction for me and those around me in our mutual respect for the search to experience objective meaning.
tbieter
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Re: A Conversation With Simone Weil

Post by tbieter »

Here is my review of the film "An Encounter with Simone Weil" submitted to Amazon.

An Encounter with Simone Weil
https://www.amazon.com/Encounter-Simone ... dpSrc=srch

This is a beautiful film visually and substantively.

Throughout the film, Weil quotations are spoken, They describe important concepts in her thought, such as attention, suffering, oppression, factory work, beauty, and mystical experience.

She believed in the absolute liberty of the intellect, Hence, she declined to enter the Catholic Church, or to join the Communist Party, and she was skeptical of all collectivities.

There are many photographs of her in many contexts (After I finish my next read (I recently paid $33.00 for it on Ebay) - “The Human Face” by Max Picard - I’ll watch the film again) .

This film is valuable for two types of people: 1.) Those who have not read Weil, but are curious about her. It will be a good introduction and.

2) Those who have read Weil. Many of the spoken Weil quotations will be familiar. I cherish my copy of “Simone Weil - An Anthology”, Sian Miles, ed., the best anthology that I’ve ever purchased. It cantains an index that is comprehensive and tremendously valuable.. https://www.amazon.com/Simone-Weil-Anth ... dpSrc=srch
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