A Freedom Freed from Politics: The Political and Social Thought of Simone Weil in the Europe of Her Day

The essay focuses on Simone Weil. During the interwar years, her political thought and actions pursued the defence of freedom. This choice is testified by her critique of Stalinism and totalitarianism, her subsequent involvement in the Spanish Civil War on the side of the anarchists, and finally her approval of entering the war against the Nazis and supporting the French Resistance’s efforts. Besides, her reflections on Europe, on federalism and on the review of the French Constitution demonstrate her engagement in this direction. Her political thought, however, remains largely to be analysed, especially the most critical features thereof. Weil’s passionate belief in freedom, in fact, has to be assessed in the light of her workerisism, her negative views on political parties, her criticism of ideology, her intolerance of traditional ideological-political schools of thought and labels (including ‘democracy’ and ‘liberalism’).