Simone Weil in 1936: At the heart of her ethics is the practice of attention, 'a selfless, patient form of seeing'. Photograph: Apic/Getty Images
You’ve probably read a lot of depressing things this week. The daily news is grim. There is no shortage of people telling us we’re going to hell in a handcart. So this column aims to bring a bit of constructive philosophising.
Credit goes to two academics in a University of Galway research project who were in touch with Unthinkable about Simone Weil’s philosophy of attention.
Weil was born in Paris in 1909 and devoted her life to fighting Nazism. She died aged 34 – her tireless campaigning contributed to the illness that claimed her life.
“At the heart of Weil’s ethics is the practice of attention, a selfless, patient form of seeing that allows one to perceive the needs of others without projection or appropriation.
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