Rooting. Introduction to the Declaration of Duties towards Man

"Rooting" is the last treatise of the philosopher Simone Weil (1909–1943). Started as an expansive introduction to the project "Declaration of Duties towards Man," which Weil proposed to the legislative commission of "Fighting France" led by de Gaulle in place of the "Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen" of 1789, the treatise significantly expanded during its preparation: the analysis of the reasons for France's defeat in 1940 evolved into an outline of the main trends in the country's development from the late Middle Ages to the present. From justifying duties, Weil transitioned to justifying her entire political philosophy, inseparable from her religious and ethical views. A work emerged summarizing the main points of everything she had written both earlier and during World War II—a final work, not limited by the political situation of her time, but directed towards the future.