Books by "Caroline J. Simon"
2 books found
Affliction lurks in the shadows all around us. It renders the afflicted inarticulate and tempts those around them to turn away. Muted Cry is a unique and compelling hybrid of frank memoir and philosophical reflection. Caroline J. Simon, an accomplished philosopher, fearlessly interrogates her sometimes thorny relationship with her brother, his affliction, and their shared family history, while also engaging French philosopher Simone Weil's life and thought. By telling a specific story with universal relevance, Simon provides an accessible and engaging window into the philosophy of one of the twentieth century's most distinctive voices. Affliction is a complex form of suffering that uproots a life by damaging a person physically, psychologically, socially, and spiritually. It overwhelms the sufferer and baffles those around them. Yet Simone Weil compellingly describes how understanding affliction opens our eyes to deep truths about Christ, our humanity, and Christian faithfulness in God's precious, broken creation. In grappling with the impact of affliction on her brother's life, Simon illuminates the paradoxical nature of affliction and illustrates the meaning and cost of truly paying attention to the afflicted. With questions for reflection and group discussion, as well as recommendations for further reading, Muted Cry is a valuable resource for both educational use and private reading.
Often what passes for love is a product of self-deception and wishful thinking. Genuine love, according to philosopher Caroline J. Simon, must be based on knowledge of reality, and Christianity affirms that reality includes not just who people are but the unfolding story of who God intends them to be. Taking the use of narrative seriously, The Disciplined Heart draws on works of literature to display a Christian understanding of love in its various forms: love of self, love of neighbor, friendship, romantic love, and marital love. Using instances of love and its counterfeits in novels and short stories by such authors as Flannery O'Connor, Leo Tolstoy, George Eliot, and F. Scott Fitzgerald, Simon constructs an account of love's joys and obligations that both charms and instructs. Learned, astute, and elegantly written, The Disciplined Heart is a groundbreaking work at the intersection of theology, philosophy, and literary analysis.