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在17世纪中叶的二十余年问,帕斯卡在自然和社会科学的诸多领域都作出卓越的贡献。这个出身于法国冉森派基督徒家庭的早慧的通才在几何学和概率论方面的探讨既为莱布尼茨的微积分理论奠定了点基础,又大大影响了现代经济学和社会科学的发展。然而在经历了一次神秘体验后,帕斯卡断然放弃数学和物理学研究,转而从事于哲学沉思和写作,有关论著在其死后被编为《思想录》。
帕斯卡上承人文主义和理性主义的传统,对人性、人生、社会、哲学以及宗教信仰进行了深入的探讨,在西方思想史上产生极其重要的影响。帕斯卡文笔清丽、雅洁,他的《思想录》一向被视为世界三大经典哲理散文之一。
内容简介
PASCAI's Pensees is widely considered to be a masterpiece, and a landmark in French prose. When commenting on one particular section, Sainte-Beuve praised it as the finest pages in the French language.
Will Durant, in his II-volume, comprehensive The
Story of Civilization series, hailed it as "the most eloquent book in French prose."
In Pensees, Pascal surveys several philosophical paradoxes: infinity and nothing, faith and reason, soul and matter, death and life, meaning and vanity- seemingly arriving at no definitive conclusions besides humility, ignorance, and grace.
作者简介
BLAISF, PASCAL (162,3-1662), French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer and Catholic philosopher. Pascal's earliest work was in the natural and applied sciences where he made important contributions to the study of fluids, and he was a mathematician of the first order. He wrote a significant treatise on the subject of projective geometry at the age of sixteen, and later corresponded with Pierre de Fermat on probability theory, strongly influencing the development of modern economics and social science.
Following a mystical experience in late 1654, he abandoned his scientific work, and devoted himself to philosophy and theology, His two most famous works date from this period: the Lettres provincials and the Pensees.
内页插图
目录
INTRODUCTION
SECTION I THOUGHTS ON MIND AND ON STYLE
SECTION II THE MISERY OF MAN WITHOUT GOD
SECTION III OF THE NECESSITY OF THE WAGER
SECTION IV OF THE MEANS OF BELIEF
SECTION V JUSTICE AND THE REASON OF EFFECTS
SECTION VI THE PHILOSOPHERS
SECTION VII MORALITY AND DOCTRINE
SECTION VIII THE FUNDAMENTALS OF THE
CHRISTIAN RELIGION
SECTION IX PERPETUITY
SECTION X TYPOLOGY
SECTION XI THE PROPHECIES
SECTION XII PROOFS OF JESUS CHRIST
SECTION XIII THE MIRACLES
SECTION XIV APPENDIX: POLEMICAL FRAGMENTS
NOTES
精彩书摘
Pascal's interest in safety did not distract him from scientific research; nor did this period occupy much space in what is a very short and crowded life. Partly his natural dissatisfaction with such a life, once he had learned all it had to teach him, partly the influence of his saintly sister Jacqueline, partly increasing suffering as his health declined, directed him more and more out of the world and to thoughts of eternity. And in
1654 occurs what is called his '6second conversion," but which might be called his conversion simply.
He made a note of his mystical experience, which he kept always about him, and which was found, after his death, sewn into the coat which he was wearing. The experience occurred on 23 November 1654, and there is no reason to doubt its genuineness unless we choose to deny all mystical experience. Now, Pascal was not a mystic, and his works are not to be classified amongst mystical writings; but what can only be called mystical experience happens to many men who do not become mystics. The work which he undertook soon after, the Letters ecrites a un provincial, is a masterpiece of religious controversy at the opposite pole from mysticism.
We know quite well that he was at the time when he received his illumination from God in extremely poor health; but it is a commonplace that some forms of illness are extremely favourable, not only to religious illumination, but to artistic and literary composition. A piece of writing meditated, apparently without progress, for months or years, may suddenly take shape and word; and in this state long passages may be produced which require little or no retouch. I have no good word to say for the cultivation of automatic writing as the model of literary composition; I doubt whether these moments can be cultivated by the writer.
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前言/序言
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西方人文经典读本:思想录(英文版)——导读与精选 本书简介: 《西方人文经典读本:思想录(英文版)》旨在为读者提供一个深入了解西方思想史核心脉络的窗口。本书并非对某一特定文本的完整收录,而是一部经过精心编纂的选集与导读,专注于展现西方文明在哲学、伦理、政治和社会结构等关键领域内,那些奠定基石的“思想火花”。它选取了从古希腊的理性精神到启蒙运动的个人解放思潮,再到近现代对人类境况的深刻反思等不同历史阶段的代表性文本片段和核心概念阐释。 本书的独特之处在于其“读本”的定位。它不是晦涩难懂的学术专著,而是致力于成为一座桥梁,连接当代读者与那些塑造了我们思维方式的伟大思想家。我们深知,直接阅读原典往往存在语言障碍和时代隔阂,因此,本书在呈现原著精髓的同时,融入了审慎的背景介绍、关键术语的精准翻译与解析,以及对思想之间复杂对话关系的梳理。 核心内容板块与深度剖析: 本书的结构围绕西方人文精神的几个核心轴线展开,确保读者能够构建起一个连贯而有层次的知识体系: 第一部分:理性之源——古希腊的奠基 本部分聚焦于古希腊文明如何为西方思想播下理性的种子。我们精选了柏拉图对“理念世界”的构建,探讨其对知识论和形而上学的深远影响,特别是通过《理想国》中关于正义与城邦的讨论,展现了早期政治哲学的雏形。随后,我们转向亚里士多德的实践理性,侧重于其在逻辑学、伦理学(如“中庸之道”)和政治学中对经验观察的重视,这标志着思维方式从纯粹思辨向系统性探究的转变。我们还会简要介绍前苏格拉底思想家们对“本源”的追问,以展现西方哲学对自然与宇宙秩序的最初尝试。 第二部分:信仰与理性——中世纪的融合与冲突 随着基督教文明在欧洲的兴起,思想的主题转向了如何调和神启的真理与人类的理性能力。本部分会选取奥古斯丁关于“时间”与“自由意志”的沉思,展示他对内心世界的深刻挖掘,以及如何将柏拉图主义融入神学框架。随后,我们将重点阐述托马斯·阿奎那对亚里士多德哲学的系统性吸收,分析其“自然法”理论如何试图在信仰与理性之间架设一座稳固的桥梁,这对于后世的法律和道德体系构建至关重要。 第三部分:人性的觉醒——文艺复兴与宗教改革的冲击 中世纪的宇宙观在文艺复兴时期受到挑战,人文主义将焦点重新拉回到“人”本身。本部分将展示彼特拉克等人的书信片段,突出其对古典人文学科的重新发现,以及对人类潜能的赞颂。紧接着,我们将探讨宗教改革的深远影响,不仅仅是神学上的分歧,更重要的是它如何催生了个人良知和直接信仰的观念,从而为近代主体性的确立埋下了伏笔。 第四部分:方法的革命——科学精神与近代哲学 本部分是理解现代世界观的关键。我们将详细介绍笛卡尔的“我思故我在”这一认识论的里程碑,分析其如何通过彻底的怀疑建立起一个以主体自我为中心的哲学基础。接着,我们会对比经验主义的代表人物,如洛克对“白板说”的阐述,以及休谟对因果律的质疑,展现出关于知识来源和可靠性的激烈辩论。这些思想直接推动了科学方法的成熟和知识边界的拓展。 第五部分:自由的构建——政治哲学与社会契约 现代政治思想的形成是西方人文精神的另一高峰。本书将精选霍布斯关于“自然状态”的设想,分析其对绝对主权的辩护。随后,我们将深入探讨洛克关于天赋人权(生命、自由和财产)的论述,及其对代议制政府的奠基作用。卢梭关于“公意”的理念也将被纳入讨论,揭示其对人民主权理论的激进贡献,以及其与精英治理思想之间的张力。 第六部分:理性的审判与批判——启蒙运动的遗产 启蒙运动不仅是理性的赞歌,也是对其局限性的自我反思。本部分将选取康德的《什么是启蒙?》,阐释其“敢于求知”的口号,以及其在认识论和伦理学上试图划定理性边界的努力。我们还会简要介绍伏尔泰对宽容和言论自由的呐喊,展现启蒙思想家们如何通过批判将社会推向现代化的进程。 本书的价值与目标读者: 《西方人文经典读本:思想录(英文版)》的目标读者群体广泛,包括但不限于: 1. 初涉西方思想史的学生: 提供一个结构清晰、重点突出的入门材料,避免初学者在浩瀚的原典面前感到无所适从。 2. 希望提升英文阅读能力的非母语学习者: 选取的文本多为影响深远的经典语段,其语言本身就是学习专业学术英语和理解经典表达方式的绝佳范本。 3. 对文化素养有追求的普通读者: 帮助读者理解当代社会、政治、法律和道德观念的深层文化根源。 通过对这些跨越千年的重要思想片段的系统性梳理,本书不仅呈现了西方思想的“是什么”,更重要的是阐释了这些思想“如何形成”以及“对我们今日有何意义”。它致力于培养读者独立思考的能力,使之能够审视并参与到人类永恒的哲学对话之中。本书的价值,在于它提供了一张理解西方文明演进路径的清晰地图,而非仅仅是孤立的历史碎片。每一次的阅读,都是一次与伟大头脑的直接对话。