Pascal's Pensées: Appreciation

Author: Liu Ye
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-10-01
Features: The greatest classic of essays in the world, for four hundred years, translated into almost every language. Pascal repeatedly elaborates on the paradox of humanity between the two extremes of the infinite and the infinitesimal through his unique method of revealing contradictions. He brilliantly reveals the paradox of humanity being both noble and great yet utterly weak and powerless. The theme of humanity's greatness through thought is poetically unveiled. Pascal once said, "All human dignity lies in thought." Pascal's guiding power lies in his soul. Reading Pascal's Pensées is a journey into the heart of a master, helping one awaken from the nightmare of the spirit. Look at Pascal's status in the eyes of scholars and later generations. Among these immortal debaters, only Pascal remains to this day because only he was a genius, and only he stands tall amidst the ruins of the world. — Voltaire
Pascal is a writer destined to be studied by generations. What changes is not him but us. It is not our knowledge that increases, but our attitude toward the world and toward him. — T. S. Eliot
If I could choose only one book to preserve from all of French literature, I would still choose Pensées without hesitation. It is a specimen of the pure French genius of sublime purity. — Victor Girod
Pascal is to France what Plato is to Greece, Dante is to Italy, Cervantes is to Spain, and Shakespeare is to England. — Chevalier Pascal
Pascal (1623–1662) was the most brilliant mathematician, physicist, and philosopher of 17th-century France. He made significant contributions to both theoretical and experimental sciences. His contributions include the Pascal's Hexagon Theorem and Pascal's Triangle in geometry, Pascal's Law in physics, and the invention of the world's first computer and the mercury barometer. He was also one of the founders of probability theory. In 1670, Pascal's Pensées: A Critical Appreciation was first published in France. This work, with its sharp debates, profound thoughts, and fluent writing, has become a classic in the history of world intellectual and cultural thought, exerting a profound influence on later generations and is considered the foundation of French classical prose.
Pascal was a deeply religious thinker. He believed that humans are entirely in a state of sin and can only be saved through God's grace. However, he also inherited the tradition of rationalism, rationally exploring issues such as human nature, life, society, philosophy, and religion.