Simone Weil
Emmanuel Gabellieri, Simone Kotva
July 14, 2026 DOI: 10.1093/9780191887017.003.0032 (opens in new tab) via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractSimone Weil belongs to the apophatic tradition but holds an original position, having developed key themes after a mystical experience at age 29. She proposes "decreation" (décréation), originating from meditation on Christ's kenosis (Ph. 2:7) and how to imitate it. Her concept of attention (l'attention) involves a "negative effort" of "suspension of thought," more like waiting (l'attente) than willing. Weil's apophaticism is a method of stripping away obstacles to knowing God and seeing things "as they really are," rather than refining the idea of God through negations. She drew inspiration from Daoist philosophy, Hindu theology, and Zen Buddhism, while remaining indebted to Catholic mystical understandings of nothingness, especially John of the Cross.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Topics | Buddhism Meditation Mysticism |
| Keywords | Hinduism Philosophy of religion |
| Key finding | Argues that Weil's apophaticism is a method of stripping away obstacles to knowing God and seeing things 'as they really are,' drawing on diverse traditions including Daoism, Hinduism, and Zen Buddhism while remaining indebted to Catholic mysticism. |
Abstract
Abstract Simone Weil stands squarely within the apophatic tradition, but she also occupies an original position within it, having developed many themes in the wake of a mystical experience at the age of 29. One such theme, which originated in her meditation on Christ’s kenosis (Ph. 2:7) and how we can imitate it, is that of “decreation” (décréation). Another is attention (l’attention), which she understands in terms of the “negative effort” of a “suspension of thought” that is more like waiting (l’attente) than willing. As such, Weil’s apophaticism is not so much a matter of refining our idea of God through negations of various concepts, as it is a method of stripping away all the things that would keep us from knowing God and seeing things “as they really are.” As Gabellieri and Kotva show, Weil also read widely outside the Christian tradition and was inspired by other philosophical and religious traditions where unknowing, emptiness, and self-emptying are of central importance, such as Daoist philosophy, Hindu theology, and Zen Buddhism. Kotva and Gabellieri draw attention to Weil’s comparative and pluralist approach, while emphasizing her indebtedness to Catholic mystical understandings of nothingness, especially the work of John of the Cross.