Exploring the closeness between Simone Weil and existentialism

Abstract

Simone Weil is one of the most enigmatic figures in 20st century thinking in France. The variety of her work and the evolution of her thought make it difficult to classify her in a single current, but the possible closeness she may have had with the popular thought of the time: existentialism, is striking. Simone de Beauvoir expressed her admiration for Weil but did not fail to recognize the gulf that separated them. Is Weil's thought irreconcilable with Sartre's existentialism? In this article we will explore that possibility. We will look at the notion of rootedness in Weil's unfinished work The Need for Roots, and then attempt to trace a possible closeness to the French existentialism of Jean-Paul Sartre. We will see that, although there are certain guidelines that bring the two thoughts closer together, there are substantial differences that distance Weil from the theses of her contemporary. This difference will be played out above all in the field of religion and the moral question.