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Simone Weil’s ‘reflections on the right use of school studies with a view to the love of God’: a comment

Morgan, W. J. 2020. Simone Weil’s ‘reflections on the right use of school studies with a view to the love of God’: a comment. RUDN Journal of Philosophy 24 (3) , pp. 398-409. 10.22363/2313-2302-2020-24-3-398-409

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Abstract

The purpose of this article is to provide a comment on Simone Weil’s brief but seminal essay ‘Reflections on the Right Use of School Studies with a View to the Love of God.’ It complements an earlier one on Weil’s Lectures on Philosophy . The essay was sent via a letter to her friend and mentor, the Catholic priest, and Dominican friar, Father Joseph-Marie Perrin O.P. It set out her belief that school studies should provide the individual pupil or student with an education in the value and acquisition of attention. This, Weil believed, would be of fundamental value when reaching out to God through prayer. Such a capacity for attention would also enhance the student’s general academic and social learning providing a basis for authentic dialogue with others, and not only teachers and schoolfellows. The article introduces her as a religious philosopher, explains the origins of the essay, and Weil’s friendship with Father Perrin, who was her Christian religious mentor, examines the text itself, considers some critical commentaries, and assesses its relevance to the philosophy and practice of education today.

Item Type: Article
Date Type: Publication
Status: Published
Schools: Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education)
Additional Information: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Date of First Compliant Deposit: 6 September 2021
Date of Acceptance: 12 May 2020
Last Modified: 04 May 2023 22:44
URI: https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/143906

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