Pensées
The Pensées gather the notes Pascal wrote for an apology for the Christian religion that he never finished. Addressed above all to readers indifferent to religion, they portray the contradictions of human nature, test the reach and limits of reason, and argue that Christianity alone accounts for both human greatness and human misery.
Understanding the text
Pascal worked on the project from about 1656 until his death in 1662, leaving several hundred fragments, many sorted into titled bundles. The Port-Royal edition of 1670 selected and softened them; modern editions such as those of Louis Lafuma and Philippe Sellier follow the copies made after his death, so fragment numbers differ from one edition to another.
Key points
- 01
Thinking reed
A human being is the weakest thing in nature, yet nobler than the universe that crushes it, because it knows that it dies.
- 02
Diversion
Hunting, gaming and ambition keep people from staying quietly in a room, where they would have to face their condition.
- 03
The wager
Since no one can avoid choosing, Pascal sets a finite stake against an infinite gain and urges habits that dispose the reader to belief.
Explore the ideas in depth
Misery, diversion and the wager
Follow the Pensées from the analysis of human restlessness to the argument that one must wager.
Situating the text
Pascal worked on the project from about 1656 until his death in 1662, leaving several hundred fragments, many sorted into titled bundles. The Port-Royal edition of 1670 selected and softened them; modern editions such as those of Louis Lafuma and Philippe Sellier follow the copies made after his death, so fragment numbers differ from one edition to another. The Pensées gather the notes Pascal wrote for an apology for the Christian religion that he never finished. Addressed above all to readers indifferent to religion, they portray the contradictions of human nature, test the reach and limits of reason, and argue that Christianity alone accounts for both human greatness and human misery.
Following the arguments
Thinking reed : A human being is the weakest thing in nature, yet nobler than the universe that crushes it, because it knows that it dies. Diversion : Hunting, gaming and ambition keep people from staying quietly in a room, where they would have to face their condition. The wager : Since no one can avoid choosing, Pascal sets a finite stake against an infinite gain and urges habits that dispose the reader to belief.
Continuing the reading
Note which numbering your edition uses, then read the bundles on misery, diversion and contradictions before the long fragment on the infinite and nothing. Pascal worked on the project from about 1656 until his death in 1662, leaving several hundred fragments, many sorted into titled bundles. The Port-Royal edition of 1670 selected and softened them; modern editions such as those of Louis Lafuma and Philippe Sellier follow the copies made after his death, so fragment numbers differ from one edition to another.
Questions to carry into your reading
- Why does Pascal describe the human condition before offering any argument about God?
- What does the wager assume about its reader, and what does it leave undecided?
The wager presupposes a portrait of human misery and an invitation to examine one’s own life.
How to read it
Note which numbering your edition uses, then read the bundles on misery, diversion and contradictions before the long fragment on the infinite and nothing.
Editions & sources
Summaries and key points are original editorial interpretations. They accompany reading the work and do not replace an edition of the text. Editorial method ↗