Drag to reposition your photo

David Lamb

Male.

Liked Pages1

18 Likes

Roscoe and Maggies Adventures with Eugene the poodle

Photography

David Lamb

Report this User

Status Update

David Lamb

May 9, 2021 11:43 am

Simone Weil French resistance supporter on patriotism Patriotism is not a popular concept at present. It is associated with political positions associated with the so called �far right�, jingoism, po... View MoreSimone Weil French resistance supporter on patriotism Patriotism is not a popular concept at present. It is associated with political positions associated with the so called �far right�, jingoism, populism, xenophobia, nationalism and other expressions of political views we are not supposed to endorse. The expression �patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel� is often mistakenly cited to convey the idea that it is a bad thing. But it really means that scoundrels, being scoundrels, will try to endorse virtues such as patriotism. Simone Weil, a French resistance fighter and post war French philosopher, described patriotism in the following way. A perfectly pure love for one's country bears a close resemblance to the feelings which his young children, his aged parents, or a beloved wife inspire in a man. The thought of weakness can inflame love in just the same way as can the thought of strength, but in the former case the flame is of an altogether different order of purity. (The need for roots, trans. Arthur Will New York, 1971, p 172) This familial analogy is different to the nationalism of the Nazis who occupied France but was also different from the leaders of the resistance too. Consider de Gaulle whose France was unique, eternal, and could never be absorbed into the Europe of National Socialism. France�s honour, he maintained, its glory as a great nation-state, a mighty France, was to be showered with pride. But Simone Weil saw in this patriotism the vices of the National Socialists. Her account of feelings for the tender, the family, was not based on such a grand vision of the nation. She warned against the false patriotism which emulated the fascists and the west. One could love France as a great imperishable glorious state or as something fragile that could easily be destroyed and therefore in need of protection. Patriotism was not tub thumping pride but based on a form of Christian compassion. It was also incompatible with Communism which either rejoiced in the powerful soviet workers state or in the state supremacy of the communist parties. Socialism exhibited a similar patriotism to the fascists in this respect with emphasis on the pervasive power of the state. Internationalism of the communist/socialist movements, translated into a desire for the projected super EU state, with international globalist institutions. The election of Macron was hailed as a victory for those who opposed patriotism as something akin to fascism. Properly understood, argued Simone Weil, patriotism has neither the unsavoury aspects of the fascists nor the communists each of whom have inflicted damage on Europe and continue to do so.

View Less

Be the first person to like this.

Recent Photos

View More Photos