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The Power of Words
The Power of Words | Simone Weil
3 posts | 2 read
'There are certain words which possess in themselves, when properly used, a virtue which illumines and lifts up towards the good.' The philosopher and activist Simone Weil was one of the most courageous thinkers of the twentieth century. Here she writes, with honesty and moral clarity, about the manipulation of language by the powerful, the obligations of individuals to one another and the needs for order, equality, liberty and truth, that make us human.
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annamatopoetry
The Power of Words | Simone Weil
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Mehso-so

Ok, wow. First of all, I refuse to rate philosophy classics. It's not my job to determine if they're good or not.
Weil is certainly not a conventional existentialist, she seems to definitely have an idea of a kind of Kantian noumenon, in "truth", as well as "beauty". She also really hates socialism, mainly she doesn't seem to understand that social equality (which she likes. Kind of?) requires material equality. Anyway, a piece of work.

batsy I've been meaning to read Weil. That's really strange, her dislike of socialism on those grounds! 1y
annamatopoetry @batsy she also seems to be viewing any kind of collective identities/opinions as negative or undesirable, so that ties into it too 1y
5 likes2 comments
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annamatopoetry
The Power of Words | Simone Weil
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Mme Weil you're not alright
(she's really annoying me now)

wanderinglynn How is beauty impersonal? 🧐 I would think beauty is the exact opposite of impersonal. 🤷🏼‍♀️ 1y
annamatopoetry @wanderinglynn and that, my friend, is the exact problem with the mid-1900s continental philosophers, there's no damn structured argument, no evidence, just supposedly self evident facts thrown out. 1y
annamatopoetry @wanderinglynn that being said, aesthetic objectivism exists, I just don't think it has a leg to stand on in the face of human history 1y
wanderinglynn Oh good. I thought I was missing something. 😆 1y
7 likes4 comments
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annamatopoetry
The Power of Words | Simone Weil
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Never having read Weil before and reading her eighty(mumble) years after the fact makes me want to get a time travel machine and force her to sit down for a session of concept analysis. Radical pacifism irritates me, but we'll see how this goes.
Also featured: pain au chocolate.
Also also featured: umbrella because holy hell.