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Single Idea 23749

[filed under theme 24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 9. Communism ]

Full Idea

The chief danger does not lie in the collectivity's tendency to circumscribe the person, but in the person's tendency to immolate himself in the collective.

Gist of Idea

The problem of the collective is not suppression of persons, but persons erasing themselves

Source

Simone Weil (Human Personality [1943], p.78)

Book Ref

Weil,Simone: 'An Anthology' [Penguin 1986], p.78

A Reaction

I'm guessing that in 1943 she had in mind both Nazis and Communists. She seems to articulate a strong form of liberalism in an interesting way. It sounds like a form of Bad Faith.

Related Idea

Idea 23747 What is sacred is not a person, but the whole physical human being [Weil]

The 18 ideas from 'Human Personality'

23747 What is sacred is not a person, but the whole physical human being [Weil]
23748 The sacred in every human is their expectation of good rather than evil [Weil]
23749 The problem of the collective is not suppression of persons, but persons erasing themselves [Weil]
23750 It is not more money which the wretched members of society need [Weil]
23751 Rights are asserted contentiously, and need the backing of force [Weil]
23752 Giving centrality to rights stifles all impulses of charity [Weil]
23753 People absurdly claim an equal share of things which are essentially privileged [Weil]
23754 The only choice is between supernatural good, or evil [Weil]
23755 Genius and love of truth are always accompanied by great humility [Weil]
23756 The mind is imprisoned and limited by language, restricting our awareness of wider thoughts [Weil]
23758 Beauty is an attractive mystery, leaving nothing to be desired [Weil]
23757 The spirit of justice needs the full attention of truth, and that attention is love [Weil]
23761 Justice (concerning harm) is distinct from rights (concerning inequality) [Weil]
23760 All we need are the unity of justice, truth and beauty [Weil]
23759 Everything which originates in love is beautiful [Weil]
23762 Evil is transmitted by comforts and pleasures, but mostly by doing harm to people [Weil]
23764 The only thing in society worse than crime is repressive justice [Weil]
23763 Punishment aims at the good for men who don't desire it [Weil]