Simone Weil · Philosophy

The Need for Roots: Obligations Before Rights

Weil&rsquo;s political testament, written for the rebuilding of France - that the human soul has definite <em>needs</em> (order, liberty, obedience, responsibility, honour, and more), that <em>uprootedness</em> is the disease of modern life, and that <em>obligations</em> come before <em>rights</em>.

What you'll be able to recall

You learned that Weil identified real needs of the soul (order, liberty, obedience, honour, and their opposite pairs), diagnosed uprootedness as modernity&rsquo;s central disease, and argued that obligations are prior to rights . Explain these three ideas and how they fit together.

Leads to Marcus Aurelius.

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