There were in fact some modern architects attracted both to ideas of place and material craft as a form of collective poetics, both in France and Belgium in particular Ferdinand Pouillon who built in stone and wrote a somewhat eccentric book about medieval stone masons and hated Le Corbusier: and the Benedictine monk Dom Hans van Der Laan who also wrote, taught and built monasteries mostly. Both rejected statist modernism and embodied a kind of Weilian style scepticism and faith in practical wisdom I guess. One might argue it like that.
I love Simone Weil, and I love this very nuanced and thoughtful consideration of her writing about spirituality and history. You do a great job of situating her in her context. Thank you for this great read!
This is lovely. I think the spirituality of work you're talking about is an important part of re-enchanting modern life. Both individuals and societies need meaning but one that faces the world with a mix of hope and realism.
Regarding your final comment about St Benedict, I agree; one of the remarkable things about Christianity is that Christians build institutions, in a way that no other religion or civilisation has. It started with the early chapters of Acts, and the welfare support in the early church, then the Monasteries, then the Universities and Hospitals, the voluntarist non-conformist Protestant communities, the charities and all patronage of the arts and music. It's remarkable, no other religion has progressively transformed it's society again and again.
There were in fact some modern architects attracted both to ideas of place and material craft as a form of collective poetics, both in France and Belgium in particular Ferdinand Pouillon who built in stone and wrote a somewhat eccentric book about medieval stone masons and hated Le Corbusier: and the Benedictine monk Dom Hans van Der Laan who also wrote, taught and built monasteries mostly. Both rejected statist modernism and embodied a kind of Weilian style scepticism and faith in practical wisdom I guess. One might argue it like that.
this is beautiful
What a great essay!! I really enjoyed
thank you!
I love Simone Weil, and I love this very nuanced and thoughtful consideration of her writing about spirituality and history. You do a great job of situating her in her context. Thank you for this great read!
This is lovely. I think the spirituality of work you're talking about is an important part of re-enchanting modern life. Both individuals and societies need meaning but one that faces the world with a mix of hope and realism.
Regarding your final comment about St Benedict, I agree; one of the remarkable things about Christianity is that Christians build institutions, in a way that no other religion or civilisation has. It started with the early chapters of Acts, and the welfare support in the early church, then the Monasteries, then the Universities and Hospitals, the voluntarist non-conformist Protestant communities, the charities and all patronage of the arts and music. It's remarkable, no other religion has progressively transformed it's society again and again.
Good