EPISODE · May 31, 2026 · 2H 51M
Blaise Pascal | The Mathematician Who Found God
from sleepyphilosophyradio · host slphilosophy
Vote on what comes next: https://www.sleepyphilosophyradio.com/voteThe man who proved that nature does not abhor a vacuum, and then wrote the most honest account ever given of why the universe terrifies us. Fall asleep to the complete philosophy of Blaise Pascal.Blaise Pascal lived only thirty-nine years, and in those years he changed mathematics, physics, probability theory, and the history of Western prose. But at the center of his life was a night in November of 1654 that he could never describe, only remember. After that night he turned from the world of scientific triumph toward a book he would never finish, a book about what it means to be a human being suspended between two infinites, looking for a God who chooses to remain hidden. This episode follows Pascal from the Paris household where he taught himself geometry in secret as a child to the small room in which he died at thirty-nine with the record of his conversion sewn into the lining of his coat. Three hours of gentle narration for deep rest.Please listen only in safe, restful contexts.(0:00:00) The Prodigy(0:17:02) The Calculator and the Vacuum(0:33:53) Probability and the Gambler(0:51:15) The Night of Fire(1:08:33) Port-Royal and the Jansenists(1:26:04) The Provincial Letters(1:43:42) The Pensees Take Shape(2:00:48) The Hidden God and the Wager(2:17:29) Reason and the Heart(2:34:12) The Thinking ReedSUGGESTED READINGBlaise Pascal, Pensees, translated by A. J. Krailsheimer, Penguin Classics: https://amzn.to/4mQcqcEThe Provincial Letters of Blaise Pascal: https://amzn.to/4sThlewThese are affiliate links. At no extra cost to you, I earn a small commission if you purchase through them.All research and writing is done personally. Music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License.If this helped you rest, consider following Sleepy Philosophy Radio for more gentle, longform philosophy.
What this episode covers
Vote on what comes next: https://www.sleepyphilosophyradio.com/voteThe man who proved that nature does not abhor a vacuum, and then wrote the most honest account ever given of why the universe terrifies us. Fall asleep to the complete philosophy of Blaise Pascal.Blaise Pascal lived only thirty-nine years, and in those years he changed mathematics, physics, probability theory, and the history of Western prose. But at the center of his life was a night in November of 1654 that he could never describe, only remember. After that night he turned from the world of scientific triumph toward a book he would never finish, a book about what it means to be a human being suspended between two infinites, looking for a God who chooses to remain hidden. This episode follows Pascal from the Paris household where he taught himself geometry in secret as a child to the small room in which he died at thirty-nine with the record of his conversion sewn into the lining of his coat. Three hours of gentle narration for deep rest.Please listen only in safe, restful contexts.(0:00:00) The Prodigy(0:17:02) The Calculator and the Vacuum(0:33:53) Probability and the Gambler(0:51:15) The Night of Fire(1:08:33) Port-Royal and the Jansenists(1:26:04) The Provincial Letters(1:43:42) The Pensees Take Shape(2:00:48) The Hidden God and the Wager(2:17:29) Reason and the Heart(2:34:12) The Thinking ReedSUGGESTED READINGBlaise Pascal, Pensees, translated by A. J. Krailsheimer, Penguin Classics: https://amzn.to/4mQcqcEThe Provincial Letters of Blaise Pascal: https://amzn.to/4sThlewThese are affiliate links. At no extra cost to you, I earn a small commission if you purchase through them.All research and writing is done personally. Music by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License.If this helped you rest, consider following Sleepy Philosophy Radio for more gentle, longform philosophy.
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Blaise Pascal | The Mathematician Who Found God
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