Simone Weil (1909-1943) was a French philosopher who left many writings addressing issues in philosophy, mysticism, theology, social science, political activism, and many other fields. Her Notebooks (1941-1942) include frequent references to the Chinese thought in different sections of the text, yet rarely explored to date. The aim of this paper is to detect and analyze these references, with a particular focus on keywords such as Dao, Daoism, Laozi, wu wei, the water metaphor. What proves to be remarkably interesting in the presence of the frequent references to Chinese thought in the writings of Weil is the general association of these elements with Christian concepts. After a brief outline of the life and activity of Simone Weil, the paper will present the sources and translations through which Weil encountered Chinese philosophy, and the role she gave it in her thought and her writings. A comparison with the extracts of the Chinese texts addressing the issues quoted will also be included. To conclude, some features of the studies by Chinese scholars on Simone Weil will be presented, to explore the eventual importance given to this particular aspect of her thought and the corresponding translating issues concerning the Chinese edition of her works.
Chinese thought in the writings of Simone Weil: encounter and translation
De Gruttola, Raissa
2024-01-01
Abstract
Simone Weil (1909-1943) was a French philosopher who left many writings addressing issues in philosophy, mysticism, theology, social science, political activism, and many other fields. Her Notebooks (1941-1942) include frequent references to the Chinese thought in different sections of the text, yet rarely explored to date. The aim of this paper is to detect and analyze these references, with a particular focus on keywords such as Dao, Daoism, Laozi, wu wei, the water metaphor. What proves to be remarkably interesting in the presence of the frequent references to Chinese thought in the writings of Weil is the general association of these elements with Christian concepts. After a brief outline of the life and activity of Simone Weil, the paper will present the sources and translations through which Weil encountered Chinese philosophy, and the role she gave it in her thought and her writings. A comparison with the extracts of the Chinese texts addressing the issues quoted will also be included. To conclude, some features of the studies by Chinese scholars on Simone Weil will be presented, to explore the eventual importance given to this particular aspect of her thought and the corresponding translating issues concerning the Chinese edition of her works.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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