Simone Weil · Philosophy

Gravity and Grace: The Soul’s Two Movements

Weil&rsquo;s mystical vision of the soul: that all its natural movements obey a moral <em>gravity</em> - the downward pull of the ego, ever seeking to expand and fill - while <em>grace</em>, the one exception, descends only into a soul that has consented to empty itself, a self-emptying she calls <em>decreation</em>.

What you'll be able to recall

You learned that Weil saw two forces in the soul: gravity , the natural downward pull of the ego seeking to expand and fill every void, and grace , which enters only the emptied soul; and that the way to receive grace is decreation - consenting to unmake the self, and waiting rather than grasping. Explain gravity, gra…

Leads to Blaise Pascal.

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