This is always so hard to do. My interest in philosophy is what Prof. Jacob Needleman describes in his book "The Heart of Philosophy." Where modern philosophy is often mental gymnastics, I'm more attracted to Plato's definition of philosophy as the "Love of Wisdom." I'm convinced that certain aspects of my heredity motivate me to be this way.
When Simone Weil died in 1943 at 35 years of age only seven people from outside the family attended. Every year since she is an increasing influence in philosophy defined in the manner Plato does. For some reason people that seek this wisdom read this dedication for truth radiating from her. Her total absence of BS which runs counter to modern philosophy has become an attraction to a growing minority. People gravitate towards her now because she is one of the very few with a brilliant mind and a developed heart that seek the truth at the expense of personal vanity.
One of my interests is in the eventual unification of science and religion. It is natural for it to eventually happen but the question is if it can be done before we destroy ourselves due to this unnatural division between science and religion. It will come when more people understand what Simone did:
Simone Weil: A Life, Random House, 1976, p. 488[/quote] 2/3/09 is the 100th birthday for Simone Weil. Having been a Communist, atheist, and died a Christian mystic, her input on the relationship between religion and atheism, science and religion, human purpose, and the nature of society as well as many topics that should be our concern, motivate me to be part of presentations within colleges and spiritual institutions etc. on and around her centennial.
To see how her ideas go over I will probably introduce some for discussion and see how they resonate with you. The good thing is that even if you decide to throw tomatoes at me, I'm protected by the screen.
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