The Cambridge Companion to Pascal [Paperback]

A convenient and accessible guide to Blaise Pascal presenting the full range of his achievement.Blaise Pascal (1623 1662) occupies a position of pivotal importance in many domains: philosophy, mathematics, physics, religious polemics and apologetics. In this volume a team of leading scholars presents the full range of Pascal's achievement and surveys the intellectual background of his thought and the reception of his work. New readers and nonspecialists will find this the most convenient and accessible guide to Pascal currently available. Advanced students and specialists will find a conspectus of recent developments in the interpretation of Pascal.Blaise Pascal (1623 1662) occupies a position of pivotal importance in many domains: philosophy, mathematics, physics, religious polemics and apologetics. In this volume a team of leading scholars presents the full range of Pascal's achievement and surveys the intellectual background of his thought and the reception of his work. New readers and nonspecialists will find this the most convenient and accessible guide to Pascal currently available. Advanced students and specialists will find a conspectus of recent developments in the interpretation of Pascal.Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) occupies a position of pivotal importance in many domains: philosophy, mathematics, physics, religious polemics and apologetics. A team of leading scholars surveys the range of his achievement and intellectual background as well as the reception of his work. New readers and nonspecialists will find a convenient and accessible guide to Pascal and advanced students and specialists, a conspectus of recent developments in the interpretation of his works.Introduction; 1. Pascal's life and times Ben Rogers; 2. Pascal's reading and the inheritance of Montaigne and Descartes Henry Phillips; 3. Pascal's work on probability A. W. F. Edwards; 4. Pascal and decision theory Jon Elster; 5. Pascal's Physics Daniel Fouke; 6. Pascal's Philosophy of Science DesmonlS9