LEVF - "Pascal"

BLAISE PASCAL

1) Logic (“Dogmatist”)
2) Emotion (“Actor”)
3) Will (“Bourgeoisie”)
4) Physics (“Lazy”)

“Yes! There is an abyss in everything: in deeds, words…
And Pascal’s soul was a dark abyss,” 

Baudelaire wrote, in general terms and in himself, in his soul, guessing what Pascal’s psyche was like. Pascal is the most tragic of the figures in the history of world thought, “Pascal” is the most tragic of the types of psychosophy.

Like “Andersen” (q.v.), the monstrous darkness of the perception of oneself, others, and the world is given in “Pascal” by the combination of the 3rd Will and 4th Physics. It has already been said before that the hopelessness of perception is inherent in the “lazy person” from the very beginning, and if the tragedy of the 4th Physics turns out to be multiplied by the hostility with which the 3rd Will views itself and the world, then the result is what happened - “Thoughts” Pascal.

“People hate each other - this is their nature. And even if they put self-interest in the service of the public good, these attempts are only hypocrisy, an imitation of mercy, because the basis is still hatred... We thirst for truth, but we find in ourselves only uncertainty. We seek happiness, but find only sorrow and death. We cannot help but desire truth and happiness, but are incapable of either solid knowledge or happiness. This desire is left in our soul not only to punish us, but also to constantly remind us about the heights from which we have fallen... man is a complete pretense, lie, hypocrisy not only in front of others, but also in front of himself. He does not want to hear the truth about himself, avoids telling it to others. And these inclinations are contrary to reason and justice are deeply rooted in his heart."

Pascal explained even the religiosity of a person by antipathy towards himself and others, and it is quite possible that his own faith actually stemmed from this not the purest of sources: “... The only true virtue is in self-hatred (for the human “I” is so selfish , which is only worthy of hatred) and in search of a creature that we would love because it is truly worthy of love. But we are not able to love what is outside of us, so we will turn our love to the Being who, not being us, lives in all of us without exception. But in the universe there is only one such Being."

* * *

It does not follow from what has been said that Pascal hated the whole person, collectively. Human nature has one property that makes it worthy of respect, and, of course, in accordance with Pascal's 1st Logic, this property is reason. It is the intellect that places man above everything in the universe, above the universe itself. “Man is just a reed, the weakest of nature’s creations, but he is a thinking reed. To destroy him, you don’t need the entire Universe: a breath of wind, a drop of water is enough. But even if the Universe destroys him, man is still more exalted than it, for he realizes that he is parting with life and that he is weaker than the Universe, but she is not aware of anything.

So, all our dignity lies in the ability to think. Only thought elevates us, and not space and time, in which we are nothing."

At the same time, Pascal would not be a “philistine”, i.e. a creature from the very beginning monstrously contradictory, if, while praising reason, he did not simultaneously curse it, if dogmatism did not organically coexist in his mind with skepticism. The main thesis for the 3rd Will about the insignificance of man shakes even the firm belief of the 1st Logic in the super-reliability and omnipotence of the rational principle, pushing towards skepticism.

Moreover, the “Pascalian” specificity of the contradiction between the First and Third functions lies precisely in the fact that the greatness of a person is described as awareness (1st Logic) of his insignificance (3rd Will). He writes: “The greatness of man is great because he is aware of his insignificance. A tree is not aware of its insignificance.

So, a person feels insignificant, because he understands that he is insignificant; That’s what makes him great.”

* * *

In addition to an ironic view of all philosophizing, Pascal’s work is characterized by one more element, which also seems to take him out of the ranks of the philosophical corporation - this is the beautiful literary language in which he expressed his views. God knows how, but the idea has developed that wisdom must certainly be clothed in gray, boring, ugly, homespun clothes, otherwise it is not wisdom. Pascal refuted this wild but widespread prejudice with all his work. His thoughts are “thoughts-images”, his glory is not only the glory of the “French Archimedes”, but also the glory of the “French Dante”. Pascal's work is not only smart, but also expressive and aesthetically significant.

Pascal supplemented Descartes’ “philosophy of mind” with a “philosophy of the heart,” no matter how wild such an addition may sound to the ear of an intellectual orthodox. The fact is that, unlike Descartes (see “Plato”), Pascal placed not only Logic, but also Emotion at the Top, and therefore, he simply could not contrast both of the strongest sides of his nature, the experience of the mind and the experience of the heart.

The upper position of the “pascal” of Logic and Emotion - functions, mainly speech, makes a representative of this type excellent interlocutors. “Pascal” is generally a “communication man”, at the same time thoughtful and deeply feeling, judicious and witty. In communication, he is disgusted by any one-sidedness; universalism is his element. Clearly referring to himself, Pascal wrote: “You will not be known in the world as an expert in poetry, or mathematics, or any other subject, if you do not hang a sign “poet”, “mathematician”, etc. But a comprehensive person does not want any signs and does not make a distinction between the craft of a poet and a goldsmith.

A well-rounded person is not called a poet or a mathematician, etc., he is both and can judge any subject. But no one notices this. He easily joins any conversation he finds upon entering the house. No one notices his knowledge in one area or another until the need for it arises, but then they immediately remember him; in the same way, they don’t remember that he is eloquent until they start talking about eloquence, but as soon as they start talking, everyone immediately remembers what a good speaker he is.”

* * *

Like every holder of the 4th Physics, Pascal is a Buddhist. In his “Thoughts” there is one passage that would do honor to another bodhisattva: “By nature, we are always unhappy and under all circumstances, for when desires paint us an ideal of happiness, they combine our current circumstances with pleasures that are now inaccessible to us. But now we have found these pleasures, but happiness has not increased, because circumstances have changed, and with them our desires."

Being a “lazy person,” Pascal was distinguished by rare unselfishness, easily endured asceticism and illness, and even wrote “Prayerful Reflection on Conversion for the Benefit of Illness.” Here is a typical passage from this work: “Lord... You gave me health to serve You, but I spent it for vain purposes. Now You are sending me illness to correct me: do not allow me to anger You with my impatience. I abused my health, and You justly punished me. Help me to benefit properly from Your punishment... If my heart was full of attachment to the world while there was some power in it, destroy this power for my salvation and make me unable to enjoy the world."

Pascal's attitude towards the material layer of life looks from the outside cute, not only not dangerous, but even attractive eccentricity. However, it does not follow from this that all “pascals” are unmercenary, philanthropists and ascetics. 4th Physics is non-partisan and in its attitude to the world depends on others. Therefore, if Pascal had ended up in the barracks instead of the monastery, it is very possible that self-interest, callousness and cruelty would have just as organically entered into his flesh and blood as monastic asceticism and selflessness.

* * *

Pascal's 3rd Will has already been discussed. It remains to add that, acutely aware of his smallness, vulnerability, insignificance, he clearly felt other sores typical of the “philistines”: duality, abandonment, selfishness, melancholy, vanity, vanity. Pascal wrote: “A contradiction. - Man by nature is trusting, distrustful, timid, and courageous.

Description of a person: dependence, thirst for independence, need.

Human condition: inconstancy, melancholy, anxiety.

Yearning. - Peace that is not disturbed by passions, deeds, entertainment, or activities becomes more and more unbearable for a person. Then he feels his insignificance, abandonment, imperfection, dependence, powerlessness, emptiness. From the depths of his soul, hopeless melancholy, sadness, bitterness, embitterment, and despair immediately creep out.

...Honor is a person’s cherished goal; he will always irresistibly strive for it, and no force will eradicate the desire to achieve it from his heart.

And even if a person despises his own kind and equates them to animals, still, despite himself, he will strive for universal recognition and admiration."

Although Pascal in “Thoughts” speaks, as it were, abstractly, about a certain person in general, in fact this is a confession, and everything that is said in them about the heights and baseness of human nature is the fruit of exclusively personal observations, observations of the 1st Logic, 2nd Emotion, 3rd Will and 4th Physics.

* * *

A typical “Pascal” can be characterized as follows: thin, with delicate, iconic facial features. The look is painful, floating, thoughtful and sad. Gesture and facial expressions are timid, but expressive. The speech is bright, interesting, but characterized by some nervousness and irritation. The clothes are careless, and the hairstyle is quite an artistic mess. Women rarely wear makeup.