Simone Weil's Communication Ethics
Abstract
Simone Weil describes love as radical attention that suspends egoistic concerns to pursue solely the good of another. Although contemporary communication ethics emphasizes responsiveness and dialogue, it seldom addresses how individuals can entirely overcome self-interest to transparently recognize the other's need. This article proposes that Weil’s concepts (particularly attention, décréation, and metaxu) fill that theoretical gap. Grounding Weil’s ethics in Plato and mysticism, the discussion places her ideas in dialogue with current communication ethics, demonstrating their practical relevance. Weil’s notion of attention provides a profound reinterpretation of ethical listening as a form of selfless presence, while décréation offers a framework for decentering ego-driven speech. Further, metaxu clarifies the ethical role of communication mediators in facilitating genuine understanding rather than superficial engagement or division. Ultimately, Weil's ethics offers a normative criterion for ethical discourse: communication is morally good when it serves as a channel for the genuine well-being of the other.
Keywords
Simone Weil , communication ethics , attention , digital attention economy , decreation
Kaynakça
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