Simone Weil and the Need for Roots
paulkingsnorth.substack.com
Simone Weil and the Need for Roots
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Re: Simone Weil and the Need for Roots
#2I tend to fully agree with the thesis. Sadly, there's nothing to return to, so I am condemned to live in a current barren wasteland of modernity.
Re: Simone Weil and the Need for Roots
#3I tend to fully agree with the thesis. Sadly, there's nothing to return to, so I am condemned to live in a current barren wasteland of modernity.
I think we're blessed to live in a time where we have such a plethora of scientific knowledge that shows how deeply connected we are to the natural world and each other. It's a shame we choose to focus on our subtle differences to intentionally divide ourselves.
Re: Simone Weil and the Need for Roots
#4I tend to fully agree with the thesis. Sadly, there's nothing to return to, so I am condemned to live in a current barren wasteland of modernity.
I think we're blessed to live in a time where we have such a plethora of scientific knowledge that shows how deeply connected we are to the natural world and each other. It's a shame we choose to focus on our subtle differences to intentionally divide ourselves.
According to the article, we are quite the opposite from being blessed, and are more disconnected now than ever before
Re: Simone Weil and the Need for Roots
#5> We need these roots.
You might. I need friends and family, some community participation is nice, sure, but I don't particularly feel the need for gods, ancient traditions or worship, which these seem to be tied up with in the text.
> Our culture is not in danger of dying; it is already dead, and we are in denial.
This just seems like unnecessary hyperbole.
Re: Simone Weil and the Need for Roots
#6The idea that the unrooted go on to unroot those around them hit hard, but I think the opposite is also true.
In the past few years I've had the good fortune to have some very kind, generous people in my life, and when I saw the positive impact they had on those around them, and on myself, I realized that things about me were magnifying the distress in people around me, and I needed to make some changes.
If you have the good fortune to be in a situation where you can work on cultivating a generous spirit, I think it could be one way to push back against the machine.
Re: Simone Weil and the Need for Roots
#7Simone Weil gets good coverage on HN. Last year I bought a biography of her after reading a thread on HN. She was an interesting character.
Re: Simone Weil and the Need for Roots
#8I tend to fully agree with the thesis. Sadly, there's nothing to return to, so I am condemned to live in a current barren wasteland of modernity.
I think we're blessed to live in a time where we have such a plethora of scientific knowledge that shows how deeply connected we are to the natural world and each other. It's a shame we choose to focus on our subtle differences to intentionally divide ourselves.
> I think we're blessed to live in a time where we have such a plethora of scientific knowledge that shows how deeply connected we are to the natural world and each other.
We are mostly connected to each other via sanitized business transactions. Meanwhile, we don't even know the names of most of our neighbors.
Re: Simone Weil and the Need for Roots
#9Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think we're blessed to live in a time where we have such a plethora of scientific knowledge that shows how deeply connected we are to the natural world and each other. It's a shame we choose to focus on our subtle differences to intentionally divide ourselves.
According to the article, we are quite the opposite from being blessed, and are more disconnected now than ever before
It's a paradox of knowledge Vs knowing or know-how.
Re: Simone Weil and the Need for Roots
#10My roots are the roots of all humanity: War, pillage, xenophobia, power-grabs, jealousy and envy, and, finally, decamping to somewhere more promising when the vaunted Land Of My Ancestors crapped out. Multiple times over, given current knowledge about prehistoric human migrations, because I refuse to limit "my roots" to what a 19th Century Scientific Racist would say about them.