PASCAL: Faith and Human Misery

“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 some of his key ideas, such as that man is a “thinking reed” or “dethroned king”—at once puny and grand; that God deliberately hides and we must take a leap into either faith or doubt; that our need for diversion stems from the unbearable misery of human existence; and, of course, his oft-misunderstood “wager.” 

This series of four dinner discussions will be led by Haidun Liu (Morningside) and is open to undergraduates and recent graduates. Please RSVP for the individual events below.

SCHEDULE

• Tuesday, March 8 at 6 PM: The Unexaminable Life
  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.

• Tuesday, March 15 at 6 PM: The Vanity of Philosophy
  Ancient philosophies seek the highest good, and “in the end, they advise suicide." We will discuss Pascal's views about the limits of human reason, and what he thinks is true about skepticism.

• Tuesday, March 22 at 6 PM: 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.

• Tuesday, March 29 at 6 PM: Why Does God Hide?
  If there is a God who wants us to follow him, why doesn't he make it more apparent where to find him? If there is a true religion, why don’t we find clear and compelling evidence for it? Pascal provides his explanation: because God wants us to love.