Chinese thought in the writings of Simone Weil: Encounter and translation

Authors

  • Raissa De Gruttola Ca' Foscari University of Venice

Abstract

Simone Weil (1909-1943) was a French philosopher who left many writings addressing issues in philosophy, mysticism, theology, social science, political activism, and many other fields. Her Notebooks (1941-1942) include frequent references to the Chinese thought in different sections of the text, yet rarely explored to date. The aim of this paper is to detect and analyze these references, with a particular focus on keywords such as Dao, Daoism, Laozi, wu wei, the water metaphor. What proves to be remarkably interesting in the presence of the frequent references to Chinese thought in the writings of Weil is the general association of these elements with Christian concepts.

After a brief outline of the life and activity of Simone Weil, the paper will present the sources and translations through which Weil encountered Chinese philosophy, and the role she gave it in her thought and her writings. A comparison with the extracts of the Chinese texts addressing the issues quoted will also be included. To conclude, some features of the studies by Chinese scholars on Simone Weil will be presented, to explore the eventual importance given to this particular aspect of her thought and the corresponding translating issues concerning the Chinese edition of her works.

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Author Biography

Raissa De Gruttola, Ca' Foscari University of Venice

Raissa De Gruttola holds a PhD in Asian and African Studies (Chinese) at Ca’ Foscari University, Venice, where she is currently a Research Fellow. Her field of research include the historical and linguistic features of biblical translation in the Chinese language, with a particular focus on the Catholic version Sigao Shengjing. Her research also covers the presence of Christians and Franciscan missionaries in China in the 20th century and the influences of Chinese thought in the writings of Simone Weil. She is currently working on Marco Polo and the Franciscan presence in China during the Middle Ages.

Raissa can be contacted at: raissa.degruttola@unive.it

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Published

2025-02-20

Issue

Vol. 28 No. 2 (2024): Special Issue on Chinese Studies

Section

Thought and religion

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