Pascal's Pensées

Author: Pascal
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-04-02
Features: If the entire French literature could only leave me with one book, I would still choose to leave Pensées without hesitation. It is a specimen of the lofty purity of a French genius. — [French] Victor Hugo As he was a great literary figure, so is his book his own spiritual autobiography. — [American] Henry David Thoreau Pascal is a writer destined to be studied by generations. It is not him who changes, but us. It is not our knowledge that increases, but our world and our attitude towards him that changes. — [American] T.S. Eliot Among these immortal debaters, only Pascal remains to this day because only he is a genius, and only he still stands tall amidst the ruins of the centuries. — [French] Voltaire He is to France what Plato is to Greece, Dante to Italy, Cervantes to Spain, and Shakespeare to England. — [French] Chérawier The French genius mathematician, physicist, and philosopher Pascal wrote this book, translated by Professor He Zhaowu of the Institute for Advanced Study in Thought and Culture at Tsinghua University. The book is famous for Pascal's unique method of highlighting contradictions, showcasing the greatness and insignificance of human existence, and is a classic work in the history of world thought and culture. Professor He Zhaowu's translation is accurate and meticulous, clear as water. It is a remarkable thing to be able to read such a book. Pascal was the most brilliant mathematician, physicist, and philosopher of 17th-century France. He made significant contributions to both theoretical and experimental sciences. His achievements include the Pascal's Hexagon Theorem in geometry, Pascal's Triangle, Pascal's Law in physics, and he also invented the world's first computer and created the mercury barometer. He was also one of the founders of probability theory. Pensées was first published in France in 1670. With its sharp debating style, profound thought, and fluent writing, it has become a classic work in the history of world thought and culture, exerting a profound influence on later generations. It is considered the foundation of French classical prose. Together with Essais by Montaigne and Essays by Bacon, it is hailed as one of the three great classics of modern European philosophical prose. The author, using his unique method of revealing contradictions, repeatedly elaborates on the paradox of human existence between the extremes of infinity and the infinitely small, demonstrating that humans are both sublime and utterly weak—a paradoxical truth. He brilliantly reveals the theme of human greatness through thought.