Pascal’s thoughts expressed in Pensees is a philosophical work that can leave any reader frustrated and questioning whether his view on the human nature and descriptions of existing humans’ social and physical worlds is reliable and trustworthy. Pascal’s (1958) comparison of a human to the infinite is the most striking thought that can disrupt any person that reflects on the existence. From my point of view, thought that a is nothing compared to the infinite but a whole compared to nothing is reflected in works of different philosophers. But what is distinguished in Pascal’s (1958) view is the union that a human expresses in his nature that connects extremes and shows the infinite principles that a human is bound to look for and discover. This view resonates the most with the reasoning of existence and human nature.
Socrates thoughts, which state that “the unexamined life is not worth living,” implying that a human should reflect on his actions and fulfill life with meaningful activities, relate to Pascal’s view on the human nature and the determination to explore ideas and concepts to the limitations (Famakinwa, 2012, para. 2). Contrasting Pascal’s opinions or, instead, taking Pascal’s thought that a human is nothing compared to eternity, Nietzsche gave broad popularity of nihilism concept that reflects an idea that life has no purpose. Driving the idea that human existence has no meaning, Nietzsche put thoughts of Pascal and other philosophers on the question and pushes them to the limit.
Pascal’s thoughts reflect my ideas about human nature. To my mind, humans are doomed to discover extremes, limits, concepts, and ideas that define our existence and consider themselves first in any situation. Pascal’s (1958) view on human relations as being based on insincere communication and that few relationships would survive if people would talk honestly about their emotions can be questioned. Today people found new approaches to communication that would sustain hardships connected to relationships. Overall, it can be said that general philosophical principles expressed by Pascal had grown into more prominent theories and proved to have a unique reflection of human nature.
References
Famakinwa, J. (2012). Is the unexamined life worth living or not? Think, 11(31), 97-103. Web.
Pascal, B. (1958). Pascal’s Pensées (ed. Eliot, T.S.). E. P. Dutton & Co., Inc.