Simone Weil

Writer, Philosopher and Mystic

Simone Weil was one of those rare minds who took human suffering so seriously that she decided to experience it firsthand — literally. Born in France in 1909, she was a brilliant philosopher, teacher, activist and... factory worker by choice, because she believed that thinking about the world without living it was intellectual cheating.

Of Jewish origin, she flirted with mystical Christianity, defended workers, fought in the Spanish Civil War (until she was expelled for being short-sighted and stubborn) and wrote dense works such as Gravity and Grace, in which she mixed philosophy, politics and spirituality with an almost supernatural intensity.

She died young, at the age of 34, weakened by a combination of tuberculosis and voluntary fasting, in an extreme gesture of solidarity with those suffering in the war. Simone did not want fame, followers or likes — she just wanted a fairer world. And, well, she left us wondering to this day how to get there.