Abstract

Like other works in the Philosophes series, this one has a tripartite presentation of life, philosophy, and excerpts; as Mme. Davy points out, Simone Weil did not prepare her own work for publication. About half of Weil's now published works are represented, with a selection from Attente de Dieu on the beauty of the world, and one from the Cahiers on the relation between God and man receiving the most attention. Unfortunately, the author's introduction, though lengthy, is quite inadequate and often naïve, and the reader finds himself wishing she had directed her efforts to a more generous selection of primary material. Mme. Davy's treatment of Simone Weil's colorful life is cloudy, and her extraordinary subject remains a fairly anonymous elle. As for the exposition of Weil's philosophy, Mme. Davy wastes time on superficial rhetorical considerations like: "Was Simone Weil a philosopher? Did she have a metaphysic? Was she a religious thinker?" Only at moments, as for example in her discussion of some aspects of Weil's mystical and social thought, does Mme. Davy's text prove helpful.—C. M. R.