Blaise Pascal
modernChristian Existentialism / Jansenist Catholic Philosophy1623 – 1662
Blaise Pascal was a 17th-century French mathematician, physicist, and Catholic philosopher who made foundational contributions to probability theory, projective geometry, and fluid mechanics. His posthumously published Pensées defended Christian faith through existential and pragmatic arguments, most famously the wager that bears his name.
Notable Achievements
1
Formulated Pascal's Wager, a pragmatic argument for belief in God
2
Co-founded probability theory through correspondence with Pierre de Fermat
3
Authored the Pensées, a seminal work of Christian apologetics
4
Proved the existence of the vacuum and formulated Pascal's law of fluid pressure
5
Invented the Pascaline, one of the earliest mechanical calculators