Pascal: Mathematician and Philosopher

Going To The Darker Side: An Introduction

In the course of revising my M.A. thesis, I came across one possible way of once again going back and enriching Pascal's philosophical thought and insight. This not-so-small endeavor is something that I thought of when I was doing two important things.

1. I was in the middle of reading Simon Singh's Fermat's Enigma, which gave sufficient background knowledge regarding the famous Last Theorem of Pierre de Fermat, which remained as a mystery in the mathematical world until Andrew Wiles found a proof for it (or at least where the book is leading me to). I was drawn by the many crucial moments in the history of mathematics that Singh presented, especially with Pythagoras, Euclid, and Diophantus, and how their problems influenced the development of mathematics, especially in the 17th century. But more than that, what I find appealing with Fermat is not exactly his last theorem but his relationship with Pascal, with whom he shares a correspondence that soon became the foundation of modern probability theory.

2. One of the concerns raised during my Masters' Thesis defense was the integration of the different orders by way of raising the value of self-love from the point of view of charity. I answered the question by saying that self-love is by no means against charity if it is in view of loving the personal and the absolute Other as such. But what this question really awakened me to is the fact that it is possible that despite the distance between the three orders of the flesh, the mind, and charity, one can still speak of Pascal's point as a philosopher by the mathematics and the sciences that he is so passionate about. Basically, my thesis is an articulation that comes from the perspective of the third order. But is it possible that this way of articulating the primacy of charity is hinted at, if not foreshadowed, by Pascal's mathematical and scientific works?

This is the question that I would like to explore and wrestle with. My objective is to basically find out how Pascal's way of doing mathematics and science influence and even lead to his insight regarding the charity of primacy as the highest foundation among three orders of possible living, thinking, and acting. It traces the different proofs and arguments used by Pascal regarding mathematical and scientific truths and see how they are also applicable to the things that he points out in the Pensees. Given these, some reminders:

A. I hope that this develops into a journal article or two. As of now, I set my sights below expectations: publish marginal notes in this blog and attempt to draw connections between Pascal's mathematical/scientific and philosophical/Catholic arguments.

B. I am going to publish bits and pieces every now and then, and I hope that those who can read this project can at least comment and raise very significant points (yes, Math experts, I'm calling on you to help me on this one). The knowledge of expert mathematicians are needed here, and it would be helpful if these mathematicians would share the little knowledge that they have.

C. Some texts of Pascal will be considered, which include but are not limited to the following:

-Essai pour les coniques (Treatise on Cones)
-Traite du vide (Treatise on Vacuums)
-Traite du triangles arithmetics (Treatise on arithmetic triangles)
-Correspondences with Pierre de Fermat
-Some notes and comments regarding Descartes and his mathesis universalis (from various sources)

As for his philosophical insight, we still remain within the bounds of the Pensees and his various lettres, and perhaps a few passages from his famous Lettres Provinciales.

1. Pascal's mathematical proofs are going to be analyzed as they are. If necessary, historical references are going to be drawn out in order to see more clearly how Pascal proceeds.
2. Draw any associations with the way Pascal argues for the primacy of charity, especially in the Pensees, taking into mind the different themes that he discussed.

I admit that I am not well-versed enough in mathematics to figure things out, and I believe that friends and readers who know more maths than I do may be able to contribute in this endeavor. Hopefully, this is a project wherein minds mathematical and philosophical can work together to bring out perhaps the things that were left unsaid for over hundreds of years ago.

Moreover, I am not saying that I am definitely arriving at some new knowledge regarding Pascal and his philosophical thought. In fact, there is a huge possibility that I am going to end up with what he exactly said regarding the infinite distance between knowing and loving. However, I think that this endeavor is of significance because we can see possible connections within one Blaise Pascal, namely the connections between his mathematical mind and his religious and philosophical mind. I hope that in one way or another, this endeavor could have shed light regarding this matter.


Up Next: The orders as the "frame" of the Pensees