PASCAI's Pensees is widely considered to be a masterpiece，and a landmark in French prose.When commenting on one particular section，Sainte-Beuve praised it as the finest pages in the French language.
Will Durant，in his II-volume，comprehensive The
Story of Civilization series，hailed it as"the most eloquent book in French prose."
In Pensees，Pascal surveys several philosophical paradoxes：infinity and nothing，faith and reason，soul and matter，death and life，meaning and vanity-seemingly arriving at no definitive conclusions besides humility，ignorance，and grace.
在17世紀中葉的二十余年問，帕斯卡在自然和社會科學的諸多領(lǐng)域都作出卓越的貢獻。這個出身于法國冉森派基督徒家庭的早慧的通才在幾何學和概率論方面的探討既為萊布尼茨的微積分理論奠定了點基礎(chǔ)，又大大影響了現(xiàn)代經(jīng)濟學和社會科學的發(fā)展。然而在經(jīng)歷了一次神秘體驗后，帕斯卡斷然放棄數(shù)學和物理學研究，轉(zhuǎn)而從事于哲學沉思和寫作，有關(guān)論著在其死后被編為《思想錄》。
帕斯卡上承人文主義和理性主義的傳統(tǒng)，對人性、人生、社會、哲學以及宗教信仰進行了深入的探討，在西方思想史上產(chǎn)生極其重要的影響。帕斯卡文筆清麗、雅潔，他的《思想錄》一向被視為世界三大經(jīng)典哲理散文之一。
BLAISF，PASCAL（162，3-1662），F(xiàn)rench mathematician，physicist，inventor，writer and Catholic philosopher.Pascal's earliest work was in the natural and applied sciences where he made important contributions to the study of fluids，and he was a mathematician of the first order.He wrote a significant treatise on the subject of projective geometry at the age of sixteen，and later corresponded with Pierre de Fermat on probability theory，strongly influencing the development of modern economics and social science.
Following a mystical experience in late 1654，he abandoned his scientific work，and devoted himself to philosophy and theology，His two most famous works date from this period：the Lettres provincials and the Pensees.
INTRODUCTION
SECTION I THOUGHTS ON MIND AND ON STYLE
SECTION II THE MISERY OF MAN WITHOUT GOD
SECTION III OF THE NECESSITY OF THE WAGER
SECTION IV OF THE MEANS OF BELIEF
SECTION V JUSTICE AND THE REASON OF EFFECTS
SECTION VI THE PHILOSOPHERS
SECTION VII MORALITY AND DOCTRINE
SECTION VIII THE FUNDAMENTALS OF THE
CHRISTIAN RELIGION
SECTION IX PERPETUITY
SECTION X TYPOLOGY
SECTION XI THE PROPHECIES
SECTION XII PROOFS OF JESUS CHRIST
SECTION XIII THE MIRACLES
SECTION XIV APPENDIX: POLEMICAL FRAGMENTS
NOTES
Pascal's interest in safety did not distract him from scientific research;nor did this period occupy much space in what is a very short and crowded life.Partly his natural dissatisfaction with such a life，once he had learned all it had to teach him，partly the influence of his saintly sister Jacqueline，partly increasing suffering as his health declined，directed him more and more out of the world and to thoughts of eternity.And in
1654 occurs what is called his'6second conversion，"but which might be called his conversion simply.
He made a note of his mystical experience，which he kept always about him，and which was found，after his death，sewn into the coat which he was wearing.The experience occurred on 23 November 1654，and there is no reason to doubt its genuineness unless we choose to deny all mystical experience.Now，Pascal was not a mystic，and his works are not to be classified amongst mystical writings;but what can only be called mystical experience happens to many men who do not become mystics.The work which he undertook soon after，the Letters ecrites a un provincial，is a masterpiece of religious controversy at the opposite pole from mysticism.
We know quite well that he was at the time when he received his illumination from God in extremely poor health;but it is a commonplace that some forms of illness are extremely favourable，not only to religious illumination，but to artistic and literary composition.A piece of writing meditated，apparently without progress，for months or years，may suddenly take shape and word;and in this state long passages may be produced which require little or no retouch.I have no good word to say for the cultivation of automatic writing as the model of literary composition;I doubt whether these moments can be cultivated by the writer.
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