more on this theme     |     more from this text

Single Idea 20732

[filed under theme 23. Ethics / F. Existentialism / 3. Angst ]

Full Idea

Let man consider what he is in comparison with what exists; let him regard himself as lost, and from this little dungeon the universe, let him learn to take the earth and himself at their proper value. Anyone considering this will be terrified at himself.

Gist of Idea

If man considers himself as lost and imprisoned in the universe, he will be terrified

Source

Blaise Pascal (Pensées [1662], p.199), quoted by Kevin Aho - Existentialism: an introduction Pref 'What?

Book Ref

Aho,Kevin: 'Existentialism: an introduction' [Polity 2014], p.-9

A Reaction

[p.199 of Penguin edn] Cited by Aho as a forerunner of existentialism. Montaigne probably influenced Pascal. Interesting that this is to be a self-inflicted existential crisis (for some purpose, probably Christian).

The 15 ideas from Blaise Pascal

6677 Imagination creates beauty, justice and happiness, which is the supreme good [Pascal]
6678 We live for the past or future, and so are never happy in the present [Pascal]
6679 It is not good to be too free [Pascal]
6680 It is a funny sort of justice whose limits are marked by a river [Pascal]
6681 We only want to know things so that we can talk about them [Pascal]
6682 Majority opinion is visible and authoritative, although not very clever [Pascal]
22011 The first principles of truth are not rational, but are known by the heart [Pascal]
6676 Painting makes us admire things of which we do not admire the originals [Pascal]
7455 Pascal knows you can't force belief, but you can make it much more probable [Pascal, by Hacking]
7457 Pascal is right, but relies on the unsupported claim of a half as the chance of God's existence [Hacking on Pascal]
7456 The libertine would lose a life of enjoyable sin if he chose the cloisters [Hacking on Pascal]
6684 If you win the wager on God's existence you win everything, if you lose you lose nothing [Pascal]
6675 The heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing [Pascal]
20732 If man considers himself as lost and imprisoned in the universe, he will be terrified [Pascal]
10121 Contradiction is not a sign of falsity, nor lack of contradiction a sign of truth [Pascal]