INTRODUCTION
Blaise Pascal was of no doubt the most influential, if not the most influential philosopher and thinker of the modern age. Pascal is know as a genius worldwide and and a wizard with numbers and inventions. Much like the most influential philosophers of the Christian faith, St. Augustine of Hippo and Thomas Aquinas, most every if not every Christian apologist will harken back to Pascal. With his genius in understanding the human (metaphorical) heart, he pushes people in all the right place they need to be pushed so that they may come to faith. This paper is intended to give a glimpse into the life of Blaise Pascal, some of his writings, some of his contemporaries, and finally Pascal’s legacy in the Christian faith and his legacy
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to the world. LIFE Blaise Pascal was born on June 19, 1623, in Clermont-Ferrand, France. Pascal’s family life was rough but he was well off. His mother died when he was only three and lived to work under his father. He lived in as an upper middle class boy with a quality education provided, but as time progressed he was seen as a pure genius. When he emerged as a genius he was allowed to study under some of the greatest mathematicians ever to live, Roberval,Gassendi, and Pere Mersenne. When Pascal was only a teenager, sixteen, he came up with the study of a book called the Treatise on Conics. He also developed what is now known as the Pascal Line. Around 1640, Pascal was even envied by the great thinker and mathematician Rene Descartes. In 1645, when he was only twenty two, Pascal invented what is known as the Pascaline. The Pascaline is one of the first calculators and it is said to be the precursor to the computer. Pascal actually invented this primarily because he wanted to help his father with taxes. In the 1650’s Pascal developed what would later be known as him laying the foundation for probability theory. In his life Pascal was said to have two conversions to Christianity. The first was said to be when he was a sick and went to the doctor and was so influenced by their views that he “believed”. Pascal then went through a period of time in his life where he reverted back to worldliness. The second conversion happened when Pascal was laying in bed and had a revelation that changed his life towards Christianity. Pascal wrote of his conversion and kept it in his coat pocket as to keep it close to his heart. He was open to telling his conversion but was very quiet about it.Pascal was always a sickly man, and he died in 1662. LEGACY AS AN APOLOGIST Pascal is best known as an apologist for the Pascal Wager. The Wager was a tactic used by Pascal for the conclusion of all his arguments and him asking the unbelievers which is now the best option for you to choose after all the information is set before you. The Wager goes as such: You Bet that He exists You Bet that He doesn’t exist God Exists Infinite Gain Infinite Loss God Does Not Exist Finite Loss Finite Gain The Wager is from the 233rd Pensees, which is Pascal’s greatest apologetic work. The Pensees were a series of journals from Pascal before he went to bed. The Pensees, can be what some call the modern era of Proverbs. One of Pascal’s most memorable Pensee is, “The heart has its reasons which reason knows not.” Pascal wrote on a vast variety of topics and was written in the later years of his life. This Wager that he lays out is intended for use on pagan’s and he had not intended to its use on other religions. Based solely on The Wager, most people put Pascal in the line of fideist apologetics. That notion is completely false, primarily because throughout the Pensees you can read Pascal giving reason for the Christian faith. Other than his external apologetics, Pascal also spoke on internal apologetics when he spoke against the Jesuits, a sect of the Catholic Church. Pascal wrote about the Jesuits in his other apologetic work, Les Provinciales. In it Pascal points out the Jesuits and attacks their casuistry. Pascal used quick witty jabs at the Jesuits creating famous one liners such as, “I have only made this letter longer because I have not had the time to make it shorter." Pascal has other writings that were grouped together in what is know as Opuscules. Pascal’s writing in these range from letters to thoughts and prayers. One such prayer is Pascal “To ask of God the Proper use of Sickness.” CONTEMPORARIES Pascal was not alone in the modern era of geniuses and influential thought. Rene Descartes was a prominent figure in the world. Descartes is famous for his thinking by doubting everything until he finally got to the original thing he can trust, that he is alive. Descartes’ famous quote is, “I think, therefore I am.” Descartes sought the truth and he was also an excellent mathematician. He originally discredited Pascal’s “ Pascal Line”, but then sought out using the Pascal Line in his works. Another one of Pascal’s contemporaries was John Locke. Locke is best known on his political philosophy, but also wrote on the compatibility of Christianity with reason. Locke wrote The Reasonableness of Christianity, where he discusses how logical Christianity was. In the The Reasonableness of Christianity, Locke says “when I had gone through the whole, and saw what a plain, simple, reasonable thing Christianity was, suited to all conditions and capacities ; and in the morality of it now, with divine authority, established into a legible law, so far surpassing all that philosophy and human reason had attained to, or could possibly make effectual to all degrees of mankind ; I was flattered to think it might be of some use in the world ; especially to those, who thought either that there was no need of revelation at all, or that the revelation of our Saviour required the belief of such articles for salvation, which the settled notions, and their way of reasoning in some, and want of understanding in others, made impossible to them. Upon these two topics the objections seemed to turn, which were with most assurance made by deists, against Christianity ; but against Christianity misunderstood. It seemed to me, that there needed no more to show them the weakness of their exceptions, but to lay plainly before them the doctrine of our Saviour and his apostles, as delivered in the scriptures, and not as taught by the several sects of Christians.” Locke was such an influential figure that when the United States of America were writing their Declaration of Independence from Britain, they were so heavily influenced by Locke. These two titans of thought were great company for the likes of Pascal who was a titan in his own right. LASTING IMPACT AFTER DEATH Pascal’s impact on the Christian community will last for as long as Christianity continues to exist.
With the Wager, Pascal seemingly laid the groundwork for apologetics ever since. Pascal set a line of reasoning a person as close to they can to Christianity, but they have to wager the last part on their own. We as Christians can’t do that for them and ultimately it is left up to the Holy Spirit to do the rest. Now every apologist today will tell you that exact same thing, of course their are some exceptions of people who think they can rason people to
God without the Holy Spirit. Pascal also shows people today what it means to know a person and speak to the person on a level that only a handful of people can. This became an influential way of relating to people in efforts to spread the Gospel to other of different ideals and religion. Pascal also was impactful in showing the perseverance of having a heart for a certian person or group of people. In his later life, Pascal wrote with the intention of sharing his thoughts with pagans and atheists so they may see the true
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faith. Other than Christianity, Pascal’s impact is felt significantly in today’s society by his mathematical works and his inventions.
In mathematics, Pascal’s triangle is taught everywhere throughout schools. He also started probability theory that many if not all mathematicians today use. Pascal even changed science by his experiments on atmospheric pressure and later had units of pressure named after him for his study. Pascal also, has a law in physics named after him. His inventions were just as impactful. Pascal created one of the first digital calculators. Pascal also invented the core principles of the roulette machine when study a perpetual motion theory.
CONCLUSION
Blaise Pascal was one of the most influential people in the history of Christianity and even the world. Without his works the world would either be slowed down technologically or halted significantly, and Christianity today may look very different. No one can argue that Pascal was not an impactful person on the world. This is why it is such a shame that he died at a young age and we don’t get anymore of his writings. Certainly, Pascal was a true genius in all senses of the
word.
The authors Charles Colson and Nancy Pearcey's essay is credible because they both have knowledge and experience regarding the topic and researched various parts of the topic using reliable sources. Along with this essay, Charles Colson has written thirty books which have received much praise among the Christian community. He has also received many awards including the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion in 1993, the Presidential Citizen's Medal
Blaise Pascal was born on 19 June 1623 in Clermont Ferrand. He was a French mathematician, physicists, inventor, writer, and Christian philosopher. He was a child prodigy that was educated by his father. After a horrific accident, Pascal’s father was homebound. He and his sister were taken care of by a group called Jansenists and later converted to Jansenism. Later in 1650, the great philosopher decided to abandon his favorite pursuits of study religion. In one of his Pensees he referred to the abandonment as “contemplate the greatness and the misery of man”.
Francis of Assisi is one of the most influential personalities in the entire world. In the book ‘Francis of Assisi: Performing the Gospel Life,’ Cunningham recounts the life of this humble monk who lived in the medieval times, and shaped the Christian life, which spread in Western culture throughout the rest of history. I believe Cunningham accurately accounts for the life of Francis of Assisi, and in doing so; he provides a trajectory of the Christian faith from its early and historical proponents through its fusion with western culture, and its subsequent spread throughout the world.
Within mainstream society it seems as if there is not a great deal of emphasis on the contributions made by theologians in society, as well as contributions by theologians to religious thought. Particularly in Christendom, ecclesiastical assemblies are so consumed with vain ideas of worship, and content on hearing biblical messages that capitulate to their personal desires, that theological studies are often neglected. Yet the contributions theologians have made in society, and the impact these contributions have had on religious assemblies have been pivotal in guiding religious discourse on subjects such as ethics, morality, and social transformation. It is for this reason, that in this essay an attempt will be made to analyze three essays from three world-renowned theologians of the 20th century. The theologians are Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Walter Wink, all of which have produced the essays used for this analysis, and have written works that have completely challenged status quo religion, and changed the landscape of Christendom forever.
Pascal’s Wager was a major strength of his theory on God and Religion. The argument made in Pascal’s Wager is an example of apologetic philosophy. It was written and published in Pensées by the 17th century French philosopher Blaise Pascal. Pascal’s Wager claims that all humans must bet their lives on whether God exists. He argues that rational people should seek to believe in God. If God does not exist the loss is minimal, but if God does exist there is an infinite gain, eternity in Heaven. It was a ground-breaking theory because it utilized probability theory and formal decision theory. Pascal’s Wager is applicable both to atheists and theists. While other philosophies may
It is said that when history looks upon the life of an individual when their time has passed; it is not the dates on the tombstone that define the man but the dash in between. Such was the case in the life of theologian, philosopher and mathematician, Blaise Pascal. Pascal was born on the 19th of June 1623, in Clermont-Ferrand France and died at the age of 39 of tuberculosis on the 19th August 1662 in Paris, but the bulk of his career, his success and life achievement began in his early years. As a young boy, Pascal’s lost his mother and soon afterward his father moved the family, Blaise and his two sisters to Paris. Pascal’s father, Étienne Pascal was a mathematician himself and taught Pascal Latin and Greek, which at the time was considered
Although their methods and reasoning contrasted one another, both philosophers methodically argued to come to a solid, irrefutable proof of God, which was a subject of great uncertainty and skepticism. Through Three Dialogues Between Hylas and Philonous and Discourse on Method and Meditations on First Philosophy, Descartes and Berkeley paved the way towards an age of confidence and faith in the truth of God’s perfect existence actively influencing the lives of
A Christian apologetic method is a verbal defense of the biblical worldview. A proof is giving a reason for why we believe. This paper will address the philosophical question of God’s existence from the moral argument. The presuppositional apologetic method of Reformed thinkers Cornelius Van Til and John Frame will be the framework. Topics covered here could undoubtedly be developed in more depth, but that would be getting ahead, here is the big picture.
"EXPLORING THEOLOGY 1 & 2." EXPLORING THEOLOGY 1 2. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2014.
Martin Luther is considered one of the most instrumental individuals in Christian history for his role in the sixteenth century Protestant Reformation that severed the powerful religious, political, and social grip the Catholic Church had upon European society (1). Luther did not set out to be a revolutionary, but simply questioned the church 's marketing of indulgences that offered the buyer or their deceased loved one absolution from the penalty of sin (2). Luther’s famous “Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences,” or “95 Theses” argued against the sale of indulgences, but Luther also ultimately disagreed with many of the fundamental religious philosophies of the medieval Catholic Church. The religious ideas of Martin Luther differed from late medieval Catholicism on key elements of theology: spiritual authority, justification of sin, free will, and the sacraments.
He too believed that it was important to teach students how to critically look at philosophy. He quotes in The City of God that “...the minds of their enemies have been alarmed by the multitude of the Christians…”(Augustine, and Paul Halsall). His radical ideas, swept across the Christian community in Western Civilization.
When looking at Pascal’s arguments that emerge in Pensees; the history, ideas, and people that influenced Pascal must be examined. Many of Pascal’s arguments involve the unity of both religion and science. This can be very controversial at a time where an absolute monarch challenges and tries to destroy other faith practices. Along with introducing scientific ideas others may misinterpret as trying to disprove God’s existence. Pascal was heavily influenced by the Christian church and was a firm believer in God. In fact, Pascal’s discoveries and experiments only solidify his faith even more. Pensees is Pascal’s thoughts on God and some other subjects that tie philosophy and the nature of man.
In 1517 the Roman Catholic Church started the sale of Indulgences. An indulgence was a “ticket to heaven” sold by the Catholic Church. The Church was in search of funds to continue the construction of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome (Gritsch 9), and used the profits made from the indulgences to aid the building (Gritsch 9). The sale of these “easy routes to salvation” (Tingle 16) contradicted Luther’s deeply rooted belief, that individuals needed to secure the remission of God through repentance on their own by studying the Bible. The use of the indulgences enraged Luther. The profit form the indulgences were
Through Martin Luther’s intense discourse, he created a new sect of Christianity. He composed books, allowing people to pursue their thoughts. His fierce words permitted numerous individuals in Europe to understand what the church was really about and not how they saw it. Despite the fact that Martin Luther rebelled against the church, he was a talented speaker who extended Christianity by composing the 95 Thesis.
W. Andrew Hoffecker. Building a Christian World View, vol. 1: God, man, and Knowledge. Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., Phillipsburg, New Jersey : 1986. William S. Babcock. The Ethics of St. Augustine: JRE Studies in Religion, no. 3.