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世纪中叶的二十余年问，帕斯卡在自然和社会科学的诸多领域都作出卓越的贡献。这个出身于法国冉森派基督徒家庭的早慧的通才在几何学和概率论方面的探讨既为莱布尼茨的微积分理论奠定了点基础，又大大影响了现代经济学和社会科学的发展。然而在经历了一次神秘体验后，帕斯卡断然放弃数学和物理学研究，转而从事于哲学沉思和写作，有关论著在其死后被编为《思想录》。

　　帕斯卡上承人文主义和理性主义的传统，对人性、人生、社会、哲学以及宗教信仰进行了深入的探讨，在西方思想史上产生极其重要的影响。帕斯卡文笔清丽、雅洁，他的《思想录》一向被视为世界三大经典哲理散文之一。

 

　　BLAISF，PASCAL（162，3-1662），French 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.

　　……