OBEDIENCE IN SIMONE WEIL

INTRODUCTION TO MEDITATION ON OBEDIENCE AND FREEDOM

Abstract

This article addresses the matter of obedience in Simone Weil’s work, both in its negative and positive connotations. As such, this is an introductory study to “Meditation on obedience and freedom”, text written in 1937 and conceived from the writing of Étienne de La Boétie, “Discours de la servitude volontaire or le Contre’un”, which was published in 1576. Taking into account that, in her draft article, Simone Weil ignores the theme of freedom to deal with obedience to a tyrannical government, we propose to extend the understanding of obedience, in its various domains: in labor relations, in social organizations, in laws, both civic and natural, and, finally, in the religious perspective of the philosopher, heir to Platonism and the Christic legacy. We conclude with the demand for action based on the political thought of Simone Weil. After this introduction, we present an unprecedented and annotated translation of “Meditation on obedience and freedom”.

Keywords: La Boétie. Oppression. Liberty. Obedience. Legitimacy, necessity, gravity and mediation.