Blaise Pascal (June 19, 1623 – August 19, 1662), was a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer and Catholic philosopher. He was a child prodigy who was educated by his father, a tax collector in Rouen. Pascal's earliest work was in the natural and applied sciences where he made important contributions to the study of fluids, and clarified the concepts of pressure and vacuum by generalizing the work of Evangelista Torricelli. Pascal also wrote in defense of the scientific method.
Pascal's most influential theological work, known as Pascal’s Pensées ("Thoughts"), was not completed before his death. It was supposed to be a look into (and ultimately a defense of) Christianity, with the original title being Apologie de la religion Chrétienne ("Defense of the Christian Religion"). But upon his death, what was found upon sifting through his personal items after his death were numerous scraps of paper with isolated thoughts. The first version of the detached notes appeared in print as a book in 1670 titled Pensées de M. Pascal sur la religion, et sur quelques autres sujets ("Thoughts of M. Pascal on religion, and on some other subjects") and soon thereafter became a classic. Despite the disorganized nature of it, Pascal's Pensées is widely considered to be a masterpiece, and it is hailed as a landmark in French prose.
This edition of Pascal’s Minor Works is illustrated and includes a Table of Contents for easier navigation.
