Metodo

International Studies in Phenomenology and Philosophy

Journal | Volume | Article

257021

Lavoro e attenzione

aspetti della mediazione nel pensiero di Simone Weil

Francesca Simeoni

pp. 89-112

Abstract

Mediation is a key concept in the thought of Simone Weil. The paper addresses this topic exploring Weil's writings between 1920s-1940s. At first, Weil reinterprets the Cartesian legacy and sees mediation as a practical instance in the relationship between the subject and the world, in terms of “perception” and “work”. At a later moment, Weil shifts the focus to the desire for the good, which she believes to be a more original way to understand the ego-world relationship. The experience of affliction (malheur), then, becomes central: it transforms desire into detachment, and it enables attention, opening up an horizon of transcendence. In the last part of her writings, Weil frames mediation within a global reinterpretation of Platonism. Thus, based on the Platonic dualistic framework, a “metaphysics of mediation” emerges, with an emphasis on the role of the intermediaries.

Publication details

Published in:

Stone Richard, Morisato Takeshi (2019) Mediation. Metodo 7 (2).

Pages: 89-112

Full citation:

Simeoni Francesca (2019) „Lavoro e attenzione: aspetti della mediazione nel pensiero di Simone Weil“. Metodo 7 (2), 89–112.