Il rispetto dovuto a ogni essere umano e l’obbligo di porre rimedio a tutte le privazioni in grado di distruggere o mutilare la vita umana nella Dichiarazione degli obblighi verso l’essere umano di Simone Weil

[Machine translation] In Simone Weil's Declaration of Obligations to the Human Being, a text that is republished here in its entirety accompanied by a brief introductory comment, the theme of respect due to every human being is central, which for Weil translates into the obligation to remedy all the deprivations of the soul and body capable of destroying or mutilating human life. With a radical reversal of his gaze, Weil bases the legitimacy of power and the State not on the guarantee of rights, but on the fulfillment of obligations to human beings, recalling a responsibility that involves not only the holders of political power, but all those who can influence this power, even in a small part. A power that is not based on respect for the human being is, for Weil, a criminal and illegitimate power, as it betrays its function. A short but dense text that reminds us that in order to speak of 'respect for the other' it is essential to start from our duties to them, rather than from their rights.