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davehershey's review against another edition
4.0
“God can only be present in creation under the form of absence” (109).
“God exists. God does not exist. Where is the problem? I am quite sure that there is a God in the sense that I am quite sure my love is not illusory. I am quite sure that there is not a God in the sense that I am quite sure nothing real can be anything like what I am able to conceive when I pronounce this word. But that which I cannot conceive is not an illusion. There are two atheisms of which one is a purification of the notion of God” (114).
“Of two men who have no experience of God, he who denies him is perhaps nearer to him than the other” (115).
“We have to believe in a God who is like the true God in everything, except that he does not exist, since we have not reached the point where God exists” (115).
“Religion in so far as it is a source of consolation is a hindrance to true faith: in this sense atheism is a purification. I have to be atheistic with the part of myself which is not made for God. Among those men in whom the supernatural part has not been awakened, the atheists are right and the believers are wrong” (115).
The chapter Atheism as Purification is worth the price of the rest of this book. There are lots of passages worth chewing on here, such as the first one above. In some ways this was a tough book to read because it consists of short sentences and paragraphs, loosely grouped together in chapters. In this it reminded me of Nietzsche, and I am sure plenty of other philosophers I have not read. I always have trouble with such writing.
Of course, maybe that’s the point. As I read, I feel like I’m not getting it. Then when I walk away, parts of it stick with me and I keep thinking about it. I’m not sure if I could do a good job explaining Weil’s thought after reading this book; thankfully there is a long summary at the beginning. But I have a lot to ponder, which makes for a good read.
“In everything which gives us the pure authentic feeling of beauty there really is the presence of God” (150).
“God exists. God does not exist. Where is the problem? I am quite sure that there is a God in the sense that I am quite sure my love is not illusory. I am quite sure that there is not a God in the sense that I am quite sure nothing real can be anything like what I am able to conceive when I pronounce this word. But that which I cannot conceive is not an illusion. There are two atheisms of which one is a purification of the notion of God” (114).
“Of two men who have no experience of God, he who denies him is perhaps nearer to him than the other” (115).
“We have to believe in a God who is like the true God in everything, except that he does not exist, since we have not reached the point where God exists” (115).
“Religion in so far as it is a source of consolation is a hindrance to true faith: in this sense atheism is a purification. I have to be atheistic with the part of myself which is not made for God. Among those men in whom the supernatural part has not been awakened, the atheists are right and the believers are wrong” (115).
The chapter Atheism as Purification is worth the price of the rest of this book. There are lots of passages worth chewing on here, such as the first one above. In some ways this was a tough book to read because it consists of short sentences and paragraphs, loosely grouped together in chapters. In this it reminded me of Nietzsche, and I am sure plenty of other philosophers I have not read. I always have trouble with such writing.
Of course, maybe that’s the point. As I read, I feel like I’m not getting it. Then when I walk away, parts of it stick with me and I keep thinking about it. I’m not sure if I could do a good job explaining Weil’s thought after reading this book; thankfully there is a long summary at the beginning. But I have a lot to ponder, which makes for a good read.
“In everything which gives us the pure authentic feeling of beauty there really is the presence of God” (150).
nilarcana's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
meggio's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
4.5
i don’t know how to rate this book but i’ll be thinking about it for a long time
paulataua's review against another edition
4.0
Not religious, and certainly not a believer in the blue eyed, bearded dude in the sky version of god, but my fear of 'scientism' overrunning the world makes me drift into theology from time to time. ‘Gravity and Grace’ is by no means an easy read, but it is a fascinating one that offers lots of little valuable thought-provoking insights. This is my first foray into Weil’s work, but definitely not my last, and I have already added her to my list of interesting religious philosophers along with Pascal and Kierkegaard. I am not surprised that Camus called her “The only great mind of our times.”
coffeeplant98's review against another edition
Well it made me cry. But I definitely don't know how to rate it :O