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The ''Pensées'' ("Thoughts") is a collection of fragments written by the French 17th-century philosopher and mathematician
Blaise Pascal Blaise Pascal ( , , ; ; 19 June 1623 – 19 August 1662) was a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, philosopher, and Catholic Church, Catholic writer. He was a child prodigy who was educated by his father, a tax collector in Rouen. Pa ...
. Pascal's religious conversion led him into a life of
asceticism Asceticism (; from the el, ἄσκησις, áskesis, exercise', 'training) is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from sensual pleasures, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their p ...
, and the ''Pensées'' was in many ways his life's work. It represented Pascal's defense of the Christian religion, and the concept of " Pascal's wager" stems from a portion of this work.


Publication history

The ''Pensées'' is the name given posthumously to fragments that Pascal had been preparing for an
apology Apology, The Apology, apologize/apologise, apologist, apologetics, or apologetic may refer to: Common uses * Apology (act), an expression of remorse or regret * Apologia, a formal defense of an opinion, position, or action Arts, entertainment, ...
for Christianity, which was never completed. That envisioned work is often referred to as the ''Apology for the Christian Religion'', although Pascal never used that title. Although the ''Pensées'' appears to consist of ideas and jottings, some of which are incomplete, it is believed that Pascal had, prior to his death in 1662, already planned out the order of the book and had begun the task of cutting and pasting his draft notes into a coherent form. His task incomplete, subsequent editors have disagreed on the order, if any, in which his writings should be read. Those responsible for his effects, failing to recognize the basic structure of the work, handed them over to be edited, and they were published in 1670. The first English translation was made in 1688 by John Walker. Another English translation by W. F. Trotter was published in 1958. The proper order of the ''Pensées'' is heavily disputed. Several attempts have been made to arrange the notes systematically; notable editions include those of Léon Brunschvicg, Jacques Chevalier,
Louis Lafuma Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis ( ...
and (more recently)
Philippe Sellier Philippe Sellier (born 8 November 1931) is a French literary critic and scholar. He is a specialist in the great writers who revolved around Port-Royal-des-Champs: Pascal, Racine, Antoine Arnauld, Louis-Isaac Lemaistre de Sacy, La Rochefoucauld ...
. Although Brunschvicg tried to classify the posthumous fragments according to themes, recent research has prompted Sellier to choose entirely different classifications, as Pascal often examined the same event or example through many different lenses. Also noteworthy is the monumental edition of Pascal's ''Œuvres complètes'' (1964–1992), which is known as the Tercentenary Edition and was realized by
Jean Mesnard Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * Je ...
; although still incomplete, this edition reviews the dating, history and critical bibliography of each of Pascal's texts.See in particular various works by Laurent Thirouin, for example “Les premières liasses des Pensées : architecture et signification”, XVIIe siècle, n°177 (spécial Pascal), oct./déc. 1992, pp. 451-468 or “Le cycle du divertissement, dans les liasses classées”, ''Giornata di Studi Francesi'', “Les Pensées de Pascal : du dessein à l’édition”, Rome, Université LUMSA, 11–12 October 2002.


References


Further reading

; Editions * * * *


External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pensees Unfinished books Works by Blaise Pascal Philosophy of religion literature Criticism of atheism Modern philosophical literature Christian apologetic works 1670 books Books published posthumously