A recent NPR article covered the increasing popularity of a flat-earth cosmology. Several prominent retired, and current professional basketball players, among those, Shaquille O’ Neal, and Kyrie Erving have been vocal advocates of the view. Though not scientists by any stretch, Shaq and Erving’s views have been increasingly persuasive to young fans. The article explains that some middle-schoolers have remained unconvinced by their…
“Yes, but you have to wager…” “The wager” might be the most famous proposal made by Blaise Pascal in the Pensees. As a reader, you would expect an apologetic argument from probability from a mathematician, but then again, calculated decisions involving risk and reward are part of the general human experience. From investments to weather forecasts, we make choices based on the…
In the 2006 film, The Pursuit of Happiness, struggling salesman Chris Gardner (played by Will Smith) aspires to become a broker in San Francisco. Gardner lands an unpaid internship, but personal problems lead to his being homeless for a year. Down, but not out, Gardner works diligently and ingeniously to gain clients. He eventually lands the coveted broker position at Dean Witter,…
This post is the third of an ongoing series on the Pensees by the 17th-century Apologist Blaise Pascal. In his Pensees, Blaise Pascal pursues his apologetic task in A LETTER TO FURTHER THE SEARCH FOR GOD [Fragment 681] an essay concerned with answering the objection often asserted by skeptics of Christianity, that insufficient evidence exists to believe the faith, namely, direct, universal,…
This post is the second blog in a series on the Pensees by Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) It’s a fairly accurate observation that 21st century people live distracted lives. The diverse forms of media, scarcely imagined in previous generations, vie for our undivided (perhaps divided?) attention. Whether messaging via smart phone, listening to music, or watching movies, we find little space for self-reflection…
If you’ve ever heard the name Blaise Pascal, it was likely in a science or math class. Remember Pascal’s Law? Pascal’s law, which states that “a change in pressure at any point in an enclosed fluid at rest is transmitted undiminished to all points in the fluid.” was formulated by this French Roman Catholic Mathematician in the 1640’s. To put things in…