“The meaning of the word freedom”: Eric Weil reading Bronislaw Malinowski

Abstract

This article analyzes essential elements of Eric Weil’s political thought, focusing on the question of political freedom as expounded by the philosopher in particular in “Le sens du mot liberte”, his review of Bronislaw Malinowski’s Freedom and Civilization, and in his Philosophy and Politics. To this end, we have divided this article into four parts. In the first part, the text discusses the aforementioned review within the Weilian intellectual production. In the second part, it analyzes the Weilian reading of Malinowski’s text. In the third part, it highlights the solution shared by both thinkers in recognizing the need to reflect on freedom on a strictly political level, that is, the primacy of the State over society. Finally, based on the gaps pointed out by Weil in the work of the Polish, it seeks to understand the meaning of his elaboration of the notions of “satisfaction” and “Revolution”, as well as his argument around the concept of “World State”.