On the Abolition of All Political Parties - Simone Weil | Full Reading & Chat

Hi folks -

For the fifth installment in our wayward wandering into the woo-woo, we will be focusing this week on French philosopher, political activist, résistante, champion of the worker, and mystic, Simone Weil and her 1943 treatise On the Abolition of All Political Parties. Described by contemporaries such as Camus as the "only great spirit of [his] time" and by de Beauvoir as hosting a "heart that could beat right across the world," Weil's biography is as fascinating as her philosophical output, leading to those indebted to her work such as French philosopher Gustave Thibon to suggest that had her life as she had lived it occurred earlier in the historical record, she would now be canonized as a saint. So, I reckon that's worth digging into.

As with our intro to Illich, this reading is something of an attempt to merge my desire to dig into mystics with our unfortunate inescapable exposure to contemporary PoMo goings-on. And, lo and behold, it's recently come to my attention that there's quite the political divide occurring stateside so who better to seek wisdom from than a veteran of the Spanish Civil War who eventually died of self-imposed starvation as an act of solidarity with prisoners and victims of the Second World War. Right?

I will be reading the NYRB Classics edition available here on Lauren Sánchez's boyfriend's website.
Here is the same version as a free PDF. Thank you Columbia University for this generous donation.

The essay itself is only around 35 pages but, for a more comprehensive discussion, I'd encourage everyone to read the included The Importance of Simone Weil & In the Light of Simone Weil essays. All-in-all, it amounts to 70ish pages so let's just knock it out as best we can.

As always, if you're unable to complete the book prior to our meeting, no worries - we're just happy to have you and welcome whatever insights, critiques, questions, etc. you may have.

We will be meeting in the Ace Hotel lobby on W 29th. It's cozy, there are couches, there is lunch, there is wine (thank god) and there is a Stumptown Coffee in the front. It's great. Message me the day of if you can't find us. I usually sit toward the back next to the bar.

And, it bears repeating, this is open to newcomers to Weil, novices of philosophy, ragamuffins, ne'er-do-wells, urchins of all sorts, etc. Just be kind and respectful, it'll be great.

Alright, looking forward to it and reach out to me with any questions in the meantime. I'll be posting podcast and video essay recommendations for y'all to ignore as we get closer to the meet-up.

See y'all then!
Hamp