Work

Work Co-Curricular Lab | Work Interview

“Even outside of any explicit religious belief, any time a human being makes an effort of attention
with the sole desire of becoming better able to grasp the truth, he gains this greater ability, even if his effort does not produce any visible fruit.”

- Simone Weil,“Reflections on the Good Use of School Studies with a View to the Love of God” (1942)

Our reading this week intends to explain how the everyday work of students relates to their spiritual and moral development. Weil argues that honing the capacity for attending is the underlying skill that you are learning through all of your academic work, regardless of your field of study. This lab challenges you to share a conversation about how we can apply Weil’s vision of academic work to a career.

Click here for a PDF version of the Work Interview co-curricular lab

Guidelines

1. Identify a person you know who is currently engaged with work that you find interesting or a person you know who seems to thrive in their work. Invite this person to join you in a conversation about the role of work in living well. (You may explain that this exercise was mandated for a class if you would like.)
2. The main question that ought to animate your conversation is, “How can we grow morally and spiritually through our labor?” You should summarize one or two of Simone Weil’s claims about work in “Reflection on the Good Use of School Studies” and ask your conversation partner to evaluate the claims. You may wish to offer your evaluation and its applications as well. The aim of this conversation is to hear about how the person imagines their work, its purpose, and how it relates to living well.
3. In your commonplace book, beginning on page 232 (or later), summarize your experience, connect it to the text from the Work session, and apply it to your practice of living well.