Blaise Pascal
French mathematician and philosopher (1623 to 1662); also a physicist; author of the Provincial Letters (1656 to 1657) and the posthumously published Pensées.
Blaise Pascal did not write this page. ppll compiled it from their own words, each linked to the source. Is this you? · Report a mistake
What they believe
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Facts are judged by the senses, natural things by reason, and revealed things by faith
In what way, then, are we to learn the truth of facts? It must be by the eyes, father, which are the legitimate judges of such matters, as reason is the proper judge of things natural and intelligible, and faith of things supernatural and revealed.
gutenberg.orgSaid 24 Mar 1657This on korrents
The bold line is korrents’ wording; the quote is theirs. These one: what they wrote before what they said aloud, one per source, newest first.
Beliefs
Korrents What they believe 5 beliefs — each backed by an exact quote.
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Facts are judged by the senses, natural things by reason, and revealed things by faith
In what way, then, are we to learn the truth of facts? It must be by the eyes, father, which are the legitimate judges of such matters, as reason is the proper judge of things natural and intelligible, and faith of things supernatural and revealed.
The Provincial Letters (tr. Thomas M'Crie, 1856) Said 24 Mar 1657
Disbelieving a church ruling on a matter of fact is not heresy, though it may be presumptuous, because on facts that authority is not infallible
And from hence it follows, that while it is heresy to resist the decisions of the faith, because this amounts to an opposing of our own spirit to the Spirit of God, it is no heresy, though it may be an act of presumption, to disbelieve certain particular facts, because this is no more than opposing reason—it may be enlightened reason—to an authority which is great indeed, but in this matter not infallible.
The Provincial Letters (tr. Thomas M'Crie, 1856) Said 23 Jan 1657
Rulers may not take life as freely as God, because though they are God's ministers they are only men
Earthly potentates, however, are not at liberty to act in this manner; for, though the ministers of God, still they are but men, and not gods.
The Provincial Letters (tr. Thomas M'Crie, 1856) Said 23 Oct 1656
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Violence cannot weaken truth, and truth cannot stop violence; each only strengthens or provokes the other
It is a strange and tedious war, when violence attempts to vanquish truth. All the efforts of violence cannot weaken truth, and only serve to give it fresh vigor. All the lights of truth cannot arrest violence, and only serve to exasperate it.
The Provincial Letters (tr. Thomas M'Crie, 1856) Said 9 Sept 1656
Ridicule is in some cases an appropriate and just way to reclaim people from their errors
Thus you see, fathers, that ridicule is, in some cases, a very appropriate means of reclaiming men from their errors, and that it is accordingly an act of justice, because, as Jeremiah says, “the actions of those that err are worthy of derision, because of their vanity—vana sunt et risu digna.”
The Provincial Letters (tr. Thomas M'Crie, 1856) Said 18 Aug 1656
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