“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 seminar, we will read excerpts from the Pensées to consider the irrationality of doubt. Each of us, Pascal argues, has no choice but to make a bet for either faith or doubt. So which way should we gamble? In Pascal's oft-misunderstood “Wager,” he offers his rationale for going beyond rationality.

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