Simone Weil on Attention as the Rarest Generosity
Chapter 1

The philosopher who refused to look away

Chapter 2

What real attention actually looks like

Chapter 3

The battle for our brains

Chapter 4

Attention as an act of love

YOUR GOAL

Master of The power of attention

Ch 4 · Attention as an act of love
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artiteacher The Good Samaritan's hidden secret

Aug 22

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artiteacher Attention as Generosity

Rarest generosity / Rarest generosity / To look at you with all of me

Aug 22

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artiteacher The question that saves lives

Aug 22

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Unselving in the natural world

artiteacher Focusing entirely on nature can temporarily cure us of our selfish anxieties and ego.

Aug 22

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The Good Samaritan's hidden secret

artiteacher Weil argued that the Samaritan's real miracle was his willingness to pause and look.

Aug 22

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Attention as an act of love
BETA

artiteacher Dodge distractions to learn how giving someone your full attention is an act of love.

Aug 22

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Fun Fact

The bird of peace: Philosopher Iris Murdoch used the example of looking at a wild kestrel to explain how attention dissolves our ego.

Aug 22

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Glossary
attention (noun)
The act or state of applying the mind to something. Simone Weil argued in 1942 that attention allows us to ask a sufferer what they endure.

Aug 22

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Gossip

Is listening harder than giving advice?

Aug 22

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Quiz

According to Simone Weil, what common mistake do we make when trying to help a friend in distress?

Aug 22

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artiteacher Unselving in the natural world

Aug 22

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Quiz

What did Simone Weil believe happens to our personal ego when we practice true, selfless attention?

Aug 22

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artiteacher Attention as a form of justice

Aug 22

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Quiz

Which British philosopher was deeply inspired by Simone Weil's concept of "unselving"?

Aug 22

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Quiz

For Simone Weil, why is training our attention a critical step toward achieving social justice?

Aug 22

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Quiz

Which biblical parable did Simone Weil use to show that helping others begins with giving them full attention?

Aug 22

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Quiz

In her 1943 essay "Human Personality," what did Simone Weil say is the most important question to ask someone who is suffering?

Aug 22

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Quiz

How did Simone Weil describe the relationship between pure attention and love?

Aug 22

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Quiz

What wild bird did Iris Murdoch use to illustrate how focusing on nature can temporarily silence our ego?

Aug 22