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Work #1117 · Early

Reflections on the Causes of Liberty and Social Oppression

Simone Weil
1934 · French
Political-philosophical essay · French radical-socialist tradition / Anti-totalitarianism

Weil's 1934 critique of Marxist orthodoxy — oppression as structural, not solely the consequence of capitalism

Attribute Fingerprint

Rows where works disagree are highlighted in gold. The full ontology grid is shown.

Attribute Reflections on the Causes of Liberty and Social Oppression (Early)
Time · Extent Infinite
Time · Ontological Status Substantival
Time · Grain Continuous
Time · Freedom Non-Deterministic
Time · Traversability Linear
Time · Dimensionality One
Time · Direction Uni-directional
Space · Extent Finite
Space · Ontological Status Substantival
Space · Curvature Flat
Space · Dimensionality Three
Space · Locality Local
Matter · Extent Infinite
Matter · Ontological Status Substantival
Matter · Conservation Conserved
Matter · Dimensionality Three
Matter · Locality Local
Observer · Time Instance Single
Observer · Space Instance Single
Observer · Knowledge Extent Partial
Observer · Knowledge Retainment Total
Observer · Physicality Embodied
Observer · Agency Active
Observer · Number Plural
Observer · Metaphysical Agency None
Observer · Moral Authority Reason
Observer · Theological Method
Energy · Extent Infinite
Energy · Ontological Status Substantival
Energy · Conservation Conserved
Energy · Dispersibility Irreversible
Information · Ontological Status Substantival
Information · Cosmic Conservation Conserved
Information · Personal Conservation Variable
Information · Granularity Discrete

Dimension-by-Dimension Evidence

What each work's passages reveal about its stance on each of the six dimensions.

Time

Reflections on the Causes of Liberty and Social Oppression

The 1934 inter-war moment of Stalinist-orthodox Marxism and rising fascism.

Space

Reflections on the Causes of Liberty and Social Oppression

The factory, the bureaucratic office, the modern large-scale organisations Weil critiques.

Matter

Reflections on the Causes of Liberty and Social Oppression

The embodied worker whose concrete conditions Weil takes as her starting point.

Observer

Reflections on the Causes of Liberty and Social Oppression

The radical-philosophical critic of large-scale organisation.

Energy

Reflections on the Causes of Liberty and Social Oppression

The political energies of inter-war French radicalism.

Information

Reflections on the Causes of Liberty and Social Oppression

The political-economic analysis of organisational-bureaucratic oppression.

Internal Tensions

Where each work's argument pulls against itself.

Reflections on the Causes of Liberty and Social Oppression

Weil's anti-bureaucratic critique has been variously assessed — defenders see prescient warning, orthodox Marxists historically contested her revisionism.