Pascal the Philosopher

Pascal the Philosopher PDF Author: Graeme Hunter
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
ISBN: 1442667001
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 280

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Book Description
Blaise Pascal has always been appreciated as a literary giant and a religious guide, but has received only grudging recognition as a philosopher: philosophers have mistaken Pascal’s harsh criticism of their discipline as a rejection of it. But according to Graeme Hunter, Pascal’s critics have simply failed to grasp his lean, but powerful conception of philosophy. This accessibly written book provides the first introduction to Pascal’s philosophy as an organic whole. Hunter argues that Pascal’s aim is not merely to humble philosophy, but to save it from a kind of failure to which it is prone. He lays out Pascal’s development of a more promising and fruitful path for philosophical inquiry, one that responded to the scientific, religious, and political upheaval of his time. Finally, Hunter illuminates Pascal’s significance for contemporary readers, allowing him to emerge as the rare philosopher who is spiritual, literary, and rigorous all at once – both a brilliant controversialist and a thinker of substance.

Pascal the Philosopher

Pascal the Philosopher PDF Author: Graeme Hunter
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
ISBN: 1442667001
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 280

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Book Description
Blaise Pascal has always been appreciated as a literary giant and a religious guide, but has received only grudging recognition as a philosopher: philosophers have mistaken Pascal’s harsh criticism of their discipline as a rejection of it. But according to Graeme Hunter, Pascal’s critics have simply failed to grasp his lean, but powerful conception of philosophy. This accessibly written book provides the first introduction to Pascal’s philosophy as an organic whole. Hunter argues that Pascal’s aim is not merely to humble philosophy, but to save it from a kind of failure to which it is prone. He lays out Pascal’s development of a more promising and fruitful path for philosophical inquiry, one that responded to the scientific, religious, and political upheaval of his time. Finally, Hunter illuminates Pascal’s significance for contemporary readers, allowing him to emerge as the rare philosopher who is spiritual, literary, and rigorous all at once – both a brilliant controversialist and a thinker of substance.

Pensees

Pensees PDF Author: Blaise Pascal
Publisher: Courier Corporation
ISBN: 9780486432557
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 322

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Book Description
"Men despise religion. They hate it and are afraid it may be true," declared Pascal in his Penseés. "The cure for this," he explained, "is first to show that religion is not contrary to reason, but worthy of reverence and respect. Next make it attractive, make good men wish it were true, and then show that it is." Motivated by the 17th-century view of the supremacy of human reason, Pascal (1623–1662) intended to write an ambitious apologia for Christianity, in which he argued the inability of reason to address metaphysical problems. While Pascal's untimely death prevented his completion of the work, these fragments published posthumously in 1670 as Penseés remain a vital part of religious and philosophical literature. Introduction by T. S. Eliot.

Pensées

Pensées PDF Author: Blaise Pascal
Publisher: Catholic University of America Press
ISBN: 9780813233451
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 680

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Book Description
Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) was a French mathematician, physicist, and religious philosopher, who laid the foundation for the modern theory of probabilities. The Pensées are made up of some 800 fragments, that have proven to be an enduring masterpiece since their initial publication in 1670. This volume is a translation of Philippe Sellier's edition of Pascal's Pensées, in addition to two shorter texts, the Exchange with M. de Sacy and The Life of Monsieur Pascal by Pascal's sister, Gilberte Périer. In addition to a Preface and an Introduction, there is a comprehensive apparatus criticus. The text was originally produced by a team of international Pascal scholars, who translated individual sections and was revised by the General Editor. The introduction situates the Sellier edition in the history of Pascal scholarship and highlights the advance its reordering of the fragments and of the folders or bundles represents, both the translation itself and the notes allow for a deeper reading of the text. It not only gives English readers a version of the authoritative Sellier edition of the collection of reflections known as The Pensées, it also proposes material which help assess the philosopher's significance and the originality of his thought. On the whole, this translation gives a comprehensive view of the progress of Pascal's intended Apology of the Christian Religion as well as of other writings on related topics. It also provides today's readers with a challenging set of arguments, prayer, and quotations from Scripture, and even the record of a mystical experience, known as the Memorial. It highlights all facets of Pascal's genius, his familiarity with Scripture combined with a talent for controversy, irony mixed with fervor, and altogether the production of an intriguing and challenging writer and thinker.

Pens閑s

Pens閑s PDF Author: Blaise Pascal
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 0140446451
Category : Literary Collections
Languages : en
Pages : 716

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Book Description
Blaise Pascal, the precociously brilliant contemporary of Descartes, was a gifted mathematician and physicist, but it is his unfinished apologia for the Christian religion upon which his reputation now rests. The Penseés is a collection of philosohical fragments, notes and essays in which Pascal explores the contradictions of human nature in pscyhological, social, metaphysical and - above all - theological terms. Mankind emerges from Pascal's analysis as a wretched and desolate creature within an impersonal universe, but who can be transformed through faith in God's grace. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Pascal's Pensees

Pascal's Pensees PDF Author: Blaise Pascal
Publisher: Start Classics
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Pascal's Pensées is a masterpiece and a landmark in French literature. This is Pascal's most influential theological work in it he surveys several philosophical paradoxes: infinity and nothing faith and reason soul and matter death and life meaning and vanity-seemingly arriving at no definitive conclusions besides humility ignorance and grace.

Blaise Pascal

Blaise Pascal PDF Author: Mary Ann Caws
Publisher: Reaktion Books
ISBN: 1780237219
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 197

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Book Description
This book considers Pascal's modes of writing - whether he is arguing with the strict puritanical modes of Church politics, in the guise of a naive 'provincial' trying to understand the Jesuitical approach (Les Provinciales), or meditating on the ways to present his own thoughts on religion (Apologia) to the world outside Port-Royal, the convent his sister Jacqueline had persuaded him to enter. Pascal's so-called 'worldly period', in which his relation to his libertine friends motivated his celebrated 'wager' about belief, is discussed alongside his Jansenist writings, his meditations on thinking about thinking, and finally his invention of the first means of public transport in Paris, shortly before his untimely death at 39 following a lifetime of illness.

The Other Pascals

The Other Pascals PDF Author: John J. Conley S.J.
Publisher: University of Notre Dame Pess
ISBN: 0268105162
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 315

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Book Description
There have been many studies analyzing the philosophy of Blaise Pascal, but this book is the first full-length study of the philosophies of his sisters, Jacqueline Pascal and Gilberte Pascal Périer, and his niece, Marguerite Périer. While these women have long been presented as the disciples, secretaries, correspondents, and nurses of their brother and uncle, each woman developed a distinctive philosophy that is more than auxiliary to the thought of Blaise Pascal. The unique philosophical voice of each Pascal woman is studied in The Other Pascals. As the headmistress of the Port-Royal convent school, Jacqueline Pascal made important contributions to the philosophy of education. Gilberte Pascal Périer wrote the first philosophical biographies of Blaise and Jacqueline. Marguerite Périer defended freedom of conscience against coercion by political and religious superiors. Each of these women authors speaks in a gendered voice, emphasizing the right of women to develop a philosophical and theological culture and to resist commands to blind obedience by paternal, political, or ecclesiastical authorities. The Other Pascals will be of keen interest to readers interested in early modern philosophy, history, literature, and religion. The book will also appeal to those with an interest in women’s studies and French studies.

Pascal's Pensees

Pascal's Pensees PDF Author: Blaise Pascal
Publisher: Prabhat Prakashan
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 660

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Book Description
Pascal's Pensées by Blaise Pascal: Pascal's Pensées is a collection of philosophical and theological thoughts by mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal. The collection contains a series of fragmented reflections on various subjects, including human nature, faith, skepticism, and the search for meaning in life. Key Aspects of the Book "Pascal's Pensées": Philosophical Musings: Pascal's Pensées presents a series of profound and contemplative reflections on a wide range of philosophical and theological topics. Exploration of Faith and Skepticism: The book delves into the tension between faith and skepticism, examining the rational and emotional aspects of belief in the divine. Insights into Human Nature: Pascal offers insights into the complexities of human nature, examining the paradoxes, desires, and motivations that shape human behavior. Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) was a French mathematician, physicist, and philosopher. He made significant contributions to mathematics and the development of probability theory. Pascal's Pensées, written during his final years, showcases his philosophical and theological thoughts, reflecting his profound intellect and introspective nature.

The Provincial Letters of Blaise Pascal

The Provincial Letters of Blaise Pascal PDF Author: Blaise Pascal
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Jansenists
Languages : en
Pages : 482

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Book Description


The Good Life in the Scientific Revolution

The Good Life in the Scientific Revolution PDF Author: Matthew L. Jones
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226409562
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 404

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Book Description
Amid the unrest, dislocation, and uncertainty of seventeenth-century Europe, readers seeking consolation and assurance turned to philosophical and scientific books that offered ways of conquering fears and training the mind—guidance for living a good life. The Good Life in the Scientific Revolution presents a triptych showing how three key early modern scientists, René Descartes, Blaise Pascal, and Gottfried Leibniz, envisioned their new work as useful for cultivating virtue and for pursuing a good life. Their scientific and philosophical innovations stemmed in part from their understanding of mathematics and science as cognitive and spiritual exercises that could create a truer mental and spiritual nobility. In portraying the rich contexts surrounding Descartes’ geometry, Pascal’s arithmetical triangle, and Leibniz’s calculus, Matthew L. Jones argues that this drive for moral therapeutics guided important developments of early modern philosophy and the Scientific Revolution.