“Nothing is so intolerable for man as to be in complete tranquility, without passions, without dealings, without diversion, without effort. He then feels his nothingness, isolation, insufficiency, dependence, weakness, emptiness. Immediately there arises from the depth of his soul boredom, gloom, sadness, chagrin, resentment, despair.”

Famous for his enormous contributions in mathematics and physics, Blaise Pascal dedicated the last eight years of his life to theology and philosophy, with the intention of writing a defense of Christianity against agnosticism and indifference to religion. He died before finishing the book, but his working notes were published as the Pensées, a gold mine for insights into the human condition for centuries to come. It was foundational to late modern thinkers such as Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, and Sartre. In this first seminar, we will read excerpts from the Pensées to consider some of his key ideas and questions. If the unexamined life is not worth living, why do so few examine their lives? Pascal would answer: because life is too depressing and we cannot bear examining it. We will discuss his picture of the human condition and the notion of “Existential angst" he inspired.

This dinner discussion will be led by Haidun Liu (Morningside) and is open to undergraduates and recent graduates.