The mystery of man in the teachings of Blaise Pascal: between mysticism and rationality

• Published in: Философская мысль no. 10; pp. 22 - 39
• Main Authors: Gutova, Svetlana Georgievna, Berillo, Ivan Viktorovich
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.10.2023
• ISSN: 2409-8728; 2409-8728
• DOI: 10.25136/2409-8728.2023.10.39039

The article explores an anthropological essence of Blaise Pascal's philosophical views along with their analysis in the context of his personal being and also of common directions in the Modern Age intellectual and philosophical movement. An unbreakable connection between Pascal's ideas and setting cartesian scientific and philosophical world-outlook is shown here, as well as some cardinal differencies of his thoughts on nature, significance and perspectives for human being from pure rationalistic treatings of these problems. The main anthropological work of Pascal ("Pensees") is charaterised under the angle of its structure and method. The comparison of reception and evaluation of Pascal' and Socrates' personalities and ideas by the modern European philosophers (W. Windelband, E. Kassirer) and Russian religious thinkers (B.P. Vysheslavtzev, S.S. Glagolev) provided here. It is shown that in his reasonings on human being, wich are traditionally considered as religous and mystical, Pascal keeps some faithfullness towards "geometric spirit" of cartesian philosophy. It is manifestated by using of mathematical terminologies and also by constructing of phenomenological topica of human existing. The last one must be charaterised as vector determinanta or as intentional existence. The principal attention is given to concepts of love and heart with stressing that Pascal realised his specific method of exploring the human being problems through these intuitive and existential symbols in "world - self - being" triada. In conclusion it is determined that Pascal's anthropological ideas as presented in "Pensees" are to be considered as some christian apologetic experience (according to author's personal intentions) and also as one of the foundings of contemporary philosophical anthropology (due to their principially critical primal points).