WEIL, ERIC

WEIL, ERIC (1904–1977), German philosopher. Born in Hamburg, he worked for his doctorate under Ernst *Cassirer. In 1933 Weil immigrated to France and in 1945 was appointed Maître de Recherche at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and professor at the École Pratique des Hautes Études of the Sorbonne. In 1956 he took up the post of professor of philosophy in Lille and in 1968 was appointed professor of philosophy at Nice. Weil represents a classical tradition in philosophy according to which man is a rational but finite being. Although considering that past philosophical systems form the main stages of the development of the human spirit, Weil, unlike Hegel, does not think that Reason realizes itself entirely in the historical process. Philosophy is confronted by an eternal task: to grasp violence and to come to terms with it. In application, philosophy is not an Olympian and harmonious activity, but a moment of peace and reflection between violent events. In politics there is no reasonable attitude other than the desire for success, and success can result only from a certain capacity for thinking. Philosophers can locate reason in political actions and show that pure violence can never be a permanent scheme of action. Politics is always involved with morality, which for Weil is the refusal of the individual to accept foreign values and external influences. Man lives in inner (intellectual) freedom, and he wants his legitimate wishes to be satisfied. Dissatisfaction – even if no more than a vague sentiment – introduces a dialectical element into society, causing a dangerous antagonism between man and man. So, like politics, morality too is exposed to violent eruptions, and humanity needs philosophy in order to understand the nature of real human satisfaction. The latter consists in leading a meaningful life and attaining true knowledge of an ever-present reality.

He wrote Logique de la Philosophie (1950), Hegel et l'État (1950), Philosophie Politique (1956), Philosophie Morale (1961), and Problèmes Kantiens (1963).

[Eugene Jacob Fleischmann]