Christianity for Modern Pagans: Pascal's Pensees

I appreciate Mr. Kreeft introducing me to Pascal and giving his interpretation of Pascal's intent. The authors wisdom in further clarifying and shedding light on Pascal's intent is greatly appreciated. I agree with Mr. Kreeft on 99% of his explanations, with one significant sticking point. Mr. Kreeft's numerous references or implied references to purgatory. I find no biblical passages to support the existence of purgatory. When Christ died on the cross he said to one of the criminals suffering the same fate who believed in him, "Today shalt thou be with me in paradise" and when Stephen was stoned, "Lord Jesus receive my spirit." Of course there is Ephesians 2:8 "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift from God, not by works, so that no one can boast." There is no additional "purification" needed through purgatory other than believing that Christ is our Redeemer and salvation. The debt has been paid in full. Pascal the man was clearly a genius and used his God given talents to not only progress science, but shine the light towards Christ.

Blaise Pascal was a famous 17th century mathematician, philosopher, and theologian. He is best known for his mechanical calculator and his famous Wager. After a religious experience, he began collecting his thoughts (pensees) on psychology and religion but died tragically young before he could organize those thoughts into a book. Fortunately, Peter Kreeft, the famous Catholic philosopher and writer, has edited, outlined, and explained Pascal's thoughts.Blaise Pascal is far smarter than me and sometimes I miss the point of his thoughts. But Kreeft's explanations always help me to understand Pascal's thoughts. At first, the ideas are interesting and worth reading. But then I read one that is not just good but breathtaking and I have to say "Wow". His thoughts about self-love (978), about diversion (136), and about indifference (427) are just 3 of those "Wow" thoughts, or mini-essays (Krailsheimer numbers).Pascal's famous wager is not meant to convert happy atheists; it is intended to show unhappy atheists and unhappy skeptics that they should give more consideration to Christianity. The simple version is to imagine a 2 by 2 matrix. The 2 columns are labeled there is a God (and Heaven and Hell) and there is no God. The 2 rows are labeled Bet that God exists and Bet that God does not exist. The upper left corner is not interesting: if God exists and you bet God exists, you win eternal happiness in Heaven. The lower right corner is also uninteresting: if God does not exist and you bet that God does not exist, you lose nothing because nothing happens after you die. But if God exists and you bet against God by doing anything you please in this life, you suffer eternal damnation in Hell. And if there is no God and you bet God exists, you lose nothing because nothing happens after you die. It does not take much thought to realize that it is irrational to bet against God and risk eternal damnation and that it is rational to bet that God does exist and possibly gain eternal happiness. But Pascal's thoughts on his wager and Kreeft's explanation are much deeper than my simple explanation above and are still another "Wow" part of this book.I highly recommend this book for all unhappy atheists, unhappy skeptics, and for all believers who want to understand their faith better.

I am a fan of both Kreeft and Pascal. I think some other reviewers have hit on many of the same reasons I like this book, but here's my own take. First of all, there was a philosophical movement in Europe at the turn of the 18th century called the Enlightenment. No single wave of thought can take as much credit for influencing the modern world as the Enlightenment. That movement was a tidal wave that swept up every major philosopher for the last three hundred years. Pascal was one of the only thinkers not swept up in the powerful riptides of that "revolution." One of my favorite quotes in the book is that Enlightenment tries to do "life itself as a science." Yet Pascal knew that man was not the measure of all things, but a twisted contradiction of greatness and wretchedness. Herein I believe, lies much of his insight; he is not a strict Enlightenment idealist. Rather, Pascal is a philsophical and theological realist who brought his bluntness and passion to the fields not only of philosophy, but science and math. Pascal was fortunate enough to brandish insights in all of these disciplines. My favorite parts of his thought, however, correspond to his philosophy. These insights were the "Pensees," his thoughts. I think every Christian should know "The Wager" argument by heart. It is brilliant. Everything to lose and everything to gain; life often revolves around the choices we make and the corresponding benefits or harms that result. Pascal is almost what you get when you try to blend the strengths of Augustine and Aquinas; a passionate minister (Augustine) mixed with the masterful logic of the Summa (Aquinas) rolled into one neat package. He was not a Cartesian dualist who saw mind and body as separate. Rather, Pascal realized that heart and soul live in the same body, at odds with one another, yet neither ever totally conquering the other. Also, Pascal is what I would have called in my college days as a philosopher a "non-dry" thinker. That is, Pensees goes down a lot easier than Nichomachean Ethics because it is more accessible and heartfelt. Argument is shrouded in vernacular expression, passion is not seen as antithetical to the cause of strengthening an already sound position. I highly recommend this book, Kreeft has some good commentary that helps simplify the very complex "Thoughts/Pensees" of one of the most brilliant thinkers ever.

Fer those that seek, they shall find, but post moderns are an agnostic out take of the old Jerry Springer show. Hence, their highest power be an agnostic cross between the big electron, and a nest of 'what ifs', who are so apathetic to the proofs of God, that a wager fer His existence is lost on them. This book is fer that individual, as Kierkegaard put it, the one who seriously wants to rest in Christ . . .

I purchased this book on a whim, having not heard of either Pascal or Kreeft. I was so glad when the book arrived and I began to explore the Pensees, which are excellently arranged and discussed by Kreeft. I am now a big fan of the 17th century mathematician, physicist and theologian. The book is provoking and insightful - get it!

Kurzfassung für eilige Leser:Der bekannte katholische Philosoph Peter Kreeft wählt einen Sechstel der „Gedanken“ des Universalgenies Blaise Pascal aus dem 17. Jahrhundert aus, ordnet sie inhaltlich und kommentiert sie. Der Leser gewinnt einen tiefen Einblick in dessen christliche Weltsicht.Von welcher gesellschaftlichen Verfassung geht der Autor aus?• Der Westen fällt ins Heidentum zurück.• Innerlich haben sich unsere Länder durch die sexuelle Revolution und die Individualisierung stark gewandelt.Wie begründet er seine Begeisterung für Pascal?• Pascal schritt nicht auf dem Weg seines Zeitgenossen René Descartes. Kreeft sieht ihn als ersten modernen Philosophen, der sich vom Mittelalter gelöst hatte.• Seine Gedanken schlagen wie Blitze ein. Sie sind zum Leben und nicht nur zum Lesen.• Pascal antwortet dem modernen Heiden, dem Skeptiker.• Der Denker ist für Katholiken und Protestanten gleichermassen interessant.• Das Lesen seiner Gedanken gleicht einem Festmahl.Was ist sein inhaltliches Konzept?• Kreeft zitiert 203 von 993 Pensées (1/6)• innerhalb einer Struktur (6 Teile, 26 Ideen)• erklärt die einzelnen Pensées, wobei er seine Impulse nummeriert,• insbesondere 9 zentrale Pensées• so wie er es auch mit seinen Studenten im Hörsaal tatWelches sind die inhaltliche Hauptteile?1. Problem: Elend, Eitelkeit, Ungerechtigkeit, Irrationalismus, Entfremdung, Tod, Sünde, Selbstsucht2. Zwei populäre Pseudo-Lösungen: Zerstreuung und Gleichgültigkeit3. Der Weg zur wirklichen Lösung: Der Weg des Herzens4. Hinweise auf dem Weg5. Die Entscheidung (Wette)6. Das Ende, die Lösung: Christus selbstWelche Fragmente eignen sich besonders als Einführung?1. Größe und Elend des Menschen (Nr. 149 Krailsheimer Zählung; 430 Brunschvicg)2. Dogmatismus und Skeptizismus (Nr. 131 K; 434 B)3. Missverhältnis (disproportion) des Menschen (Nr. 199 K; 72 B)4. Selbstliebe (Nr. 981 K; 100 B)5. Ablenkung (Nr. 136 K; 139 B)6. Gleichgültigkeit (Nr. 427 K; 194 B)7. Die Wette (Nr. 418 K; 233 B)8. Die zwei grundlegenden Wahrheiten (Nr. 449 K; 556 B)9. Das Geheimnis von Jesus (Nr. 919 K; 553 B)

Selten habe ich ein apologetisches Buch gelesen, welches so lehrreich und gut verständlich geschrieben ist.Peter Kreeft hat Pascal's Gedanken in einen Gesamtkontext eingeordnet, sodass aus vielen Einzelaussagen eine logisch schlüssige Einheit entsteht. Kreeft versteht sich meisterhaft darauf, Pascal's Aussagen zu erklären und bringt super Beispiele, sodass man noch viel mehr lernt, als wenn man nur die "Pensées" alleine liest. Das Buch ist inhaltlich hoch aktuell, da Pascal in ähnlichen apologetischen Spannungsfeldern gelebt hat, wie wir sie auch heute immer wieder vorfinden.(Leider gibt es dieses Buch meines Wissens nach noch nicht in Deutsch. Auf Amazon.com finden sich noch viele weitere Reviews in englischer Sprache zu diesem Artikel.)

This book is a great distillation and explanation on Pascal's Pensees and all their implications for the modern world. Kreeft's explanations are wonderfully useful as well. Pascal's apologetic method is just a delight to read (and it's such a pitty modern apologetics don't appeal enough to his arguments). He is quite witty and appeals not only to the mind, but also to the heart. This book is highly reccomended and a great ride!