A Christian Mystic Reads Homer: Simone Weil on ‘The Iliad’ | Simon Friedland | First Friday Lecture

What if the greatest poem about war is really a meditation on how power turns human beings into things? That is Simone Weil's radical claim in her essay "The Iliad, or the Poem of Force" and in this lecture, Basic Program instructor Simon Friedland traces how a Christian mystic, factory worker, and political activist arrived at one of the twentieth century's most searching readings of Homer. Beginning from Weil's life of political engagement, factory work, and disillusionment with institutions, Friedland follows her path toward a Christian mysticism defined by attention, "waiting for God," and a rigorous refusal of self-deception. Along the way the talk explores Weil's decision to remain outside the Catholic Church, her attraction to multiple religious traditions, and the demanding ethical implications of her stance of solidarity with the afflicted. Friedland then turns to Weil's central claim that the true subject of the Iliad is force, the power that can turn a living person into a thing. Drawing on Weil's language of decreation, gravity, human mechanics, and le malheur (affliction), he shows how scenes of supplication, slavery, and battle reveal a dark but remarkably equitable vision of Greek and Trojan alike. The lecture also considers Weil's contrast between force and love, the cultivation of the "field of the soul," and the role of beauty and attention in opening the self to grace. A substantial question-and-answer period brings Weil into conversation with figures including Marx, Nietzsche, Camus, Buber, Levinas, Kierkegaard, and Kant, as well as questions about her translations of Homer and the historical context of Nazi Germany. Key Questions •How does Simone Weil's form of Christian mysticism shape the way she reads the Iliad and its depiction of war? •What does Weil mean by "force," and how does it turn living persons into things in both the poem and modern political life? •How are attention, prayer, and "waiting for God" related to Weil's ideas of affliction and decreation? •How does Weil's reading of the Iliad compare with or challenge other modern philosophers and theologians discussed in the session? •What might Weil's analysis of force and love reveal about institutions, ideologies, and the cultivation of compassion? Chapters 00:00:06 Welcome, tech check, and Graham School / Basic Program introductions 00:04:21 Simone Weil's life and political commitments: introducing the "Christian mystic" 00:12:24 What Weil means by mysticism, attention, and "waiting for God" 00:18:41 Decreation: consent, creation, and unmaking the self before God 00:20:22 "The Iliad, or the Poem of Force": Weil's thesis about force and the epic 00:23:45 Supplication, slavery, and le malheur (affliction) as effects of force 00:34:22 Human mechanics, the void within, and the Iliad's "extraordinary sense of equity" 00:44:52 Force and love: the soul as a gas 00:49:30 Q&A: characters in the Iliad, Weil's use of Homer, and nonreactivity as grace 01:02:01 Q&A: Weil's intellectual lineage, Marx, Nietzsche, structuralism, and Buber 01:07:05 Q&A: Homer's translations, Weil and Nazi Germany, and Kierkegaard 01:12:50 Q&A: Force and Kant's categorical imperative, closing thanks About the Speaker: Simon Friedland joined the Basic Program instructional staff in 2023. He received his Ph.D. in 2021 from the University of Chicago in German Studies, with a dissertation entitled, “The Pulse of Prosody: Versification and Antiquity in the Age of Weimar Classicism.” From 2021-23, Simon was a Humanities Teaching Fellow at UChicago. Simon is a graduate of Reed College. While a student, Simon spent one year in Berlin at the Freie Universität. About the Basic Program The First Friday Lecture series is presented by the Basic Program of Liberal Education for Adults. The Basic Program is a four-year certificate program for intellectually curious learners who want to read and discuss the Great Books in a serious, welcoming community. Through close reading and weekly conversation, students engage works of literature, philosophy, history, and social thought by authors such as Plato, Aristotle, Dante, Shakespeare, Woolf, and Morrison—guided by outstanding instructors, with no prerequisites, tests, papers, or grades. Offered online and in person, the program invites adults from all backgrounds to deepen their thinking, broaden their perspective, and join a lifelong community of readers. Learn more at https://graham.uchicago.edu/program/basic-program-of-liberal-education/ About Graham The Graham School is a one-of-a-kind intellectual community that brings the best of the University of Chicago to lifelong learners who are seeking discovery and discernment. Through an array of distinctive programs and courses in the Great Books, the liberal arts, and advanced leadership, we welcome learners who seek to deepen their understanding of the world and lead examined lives of purpose. Learn more at https://graham.uchicago.edu