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szinola's review against another edition
3.0
His philosophy was intriguing, the Bible-thumping Jesus freak theology not so much.
cinnamonspy's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
SUPER dense, but lots of good material with some things I disagreed with.
casparb's review against another edition
Actually v much enjoyed this!! Pascal has a style quite besides what one would expect from his time & inclination it's so fluent so personal. Of course the iconic wager is, iconic. We're kind of used to it by now but I'm still just appreciative of that Alexandrian approach to the Gordian Knot. I get the impression that he's very much a feeling person how unphilosophical of me ('The fact is that the present usually hurts. We thrust it out of sight because it distresses us').
This edition also includes a bunch of other papers which are worth equal attention such as the papers found sewn into Pascal's coat which he presumably carried with him as he went about. The first of these seems to be a prayer paper, his own work & it's beautiful.
the eternal silence of these infinite spaces fills me with dread
This edition also includes a bunch of other papers which are worth equal attention such as the papers found sewn into Pascal's coat which he presumably carried with him as he went about. The first of these seems to be a prayer paper, his own work & it's beautiful.
the eternal silence of these infinite spaces fills me with dread
pogseu's review against another edition
5.0
unfortunately, I haven't read the whole of the Pensees, although I did spend many a long afternoon working on them. I thought they were intellectually challenging, and loved the challenge. I focused on themes and topics, and took a lot of notes, as if I were back to school! I thoroughly enjoyed myself!
I got a better understanding of what he was trying to achieve with his fragments, and who he was writing for. Although I am not a religious person, from reading the fragments and the secondary literature, I became really interested in his will to convert libertins (=free-thinkers) to Christianity and his strong faith in what he believed in.
I got a better understanding of what he was trying to achieve with his fragments, and who he was writing for. Although I am not a religious person, from reading the fragments and the secondary literature, I became really interested in his will to convert libertins (=free-thinkers) to Christianity and his strong faith in what he believed in.
aspiringorakle's review against another edition
5.0
Pascal is clearly one of the smartest men to ever have lived. Being such a disparate work, it is hard to comment on it as a whole, filled with clever asides, indecipherable aphorisms, and chunks of text meant to connect to things forty pages away. I can say this: we need Pascal's pessimism. He sees very clearly the potential foibles of human nature and our wretchedness, our willingness to hide ourselves and dress ourselves up in false rank and deception. Perhaps in this he misses some human beauty. But he reminds us of what we are capable of (and the way we are, by default). We are wretched and glorious all at once. And Pascal is absolutely right about this (simple and naive though it may seem): we have a God in Christ who loves us anyway.
leevoncarbon's review against another edition
3.0
Portions of this book rate at least a 4 but the book as a whole is a 2 for me. The low rating is not fair in one sense in that it is not a book but notes that Pascal jotted down in preparation for a book that was never written before his death. There are long passages of incomplete thoughts of little interest but occasional gems that I still recall from the first time I read through this book 36 years ago. Pascal's insistence on seeing both sides of the truth of a matter is the most enduring impact that his writings have had on me. As illustrated by one of his most famous statements from this book: "What sort of freak then is man! How novel, how monstrous, how chaotic, how paradoxical, how prodigious! Judge of all things, feeble earthworm, repository of truth, sink of doubt and error, glory and refuse of the universe!" page 64.
briank621's review against another edition
4.0
A lot of great tidbits, insightful commentary about the spiritual state of man. A lot about humanity doesn't change and Pascal's views still remain relevant today. The arguments can be Manichean at times, not just in respect to good and bad, but with respect to pride and despair, gravity and frivolity, the spiritual and secular. However, it's good to see where you lie within the spectrum and I believe he does a good job in laying out the poles.
That being said, the book (if you can even call it that) can be difficult to read at times. Without a clear narrative or storyline, you can find yourself searching for a strand to follow. Some portions are repetitive, and others are too obscure due to their references. Nevertheless, I learned a lot about myself, Christianity and the world through his thoughts.
That being said, the book (if you can even call it that) can be difficult to read at times. Without a clear narrative or storyline, you can find yourself searching for a strand to follow. Some portions are repetitive, and others are too obscure due to their references. Nevertheless, I learned a lot about myself, Christianity and the world through his thoughts.
zkendall's review against another edition
3.0
Didn't finish. Got tired of it. Read about half way. He has some good stuff to say, and some thought provoking stuff. But as it's just a pile of "thoughts," of varying lengths, I didn't enjoy pawing through them.
jdubes's review against another edition
5.0
It amazes me to think that an unfinished work can yield so much. Wisdom nuggets and brain prodders abound. If only we could have seen the finished product...