Paradoxes in Man and the Universe by Pascal
Pascal builds his argument in "Man and the Universe" out of a series of paradoxes, seemingly contradictory truths. In writing, "Man and the Universe," Pascal reflected his views on what is our place in the world as human beings. Pascal's writing shows a harmony between mathematical certainty and moral truths in support of his argument. In his "Pensees" or "Thoughts," Pascal hoped to integrate scientific progress with the notion of humankind's fallen state. Many suggest that Pascal is the "master of paradox." A paradox is an idea or situation that appears to contradict itself but that is nevertheless true. The purpose of a paradox is to provoke fresh thought and draw the reader's attention. An example of a paradox is the statement, "Less is more." In addressing his point of view of the universe, Pascal wrote, "I will picture to him not only the visible universe, but the conceivable immensity of nature, in the compass of this abbreviation of an atom." Pascal reduces the apparently infinitely great and large to its actual small position. Pascal uses this paradox to show the universe and its great magnitude compared to an atom. The American Heritage Dictionary defines the word, "magnitude" as "greatness in siz
Pascal encourages his readers to look up to God and his special ability. let a mite exhibit to him in the exceeding smallness of its body parts incomparably smaller, limbs with joints, veins in these limbs, blood in these veins, humors in this blood, globules in these humors, gases in these globules; let him, still dividing these last objects, exhaust his powers of conception, and let the ultimate object at which he can arrive now be the subject of our discourse. This is how human beings are distinguished from other life forms. " Pascal speaks to mankind, "let him view therein an infinity of worlds, each of which has its firmament, its planets, its earth, in the same proportion as the visible world. Our ideas and thoughts are also a spec in the midst of the infinite. An example of this is the volume of a sphere or the length of a vector. The element involved in Pascal's paradox is the universe itself. Man is a glorious being, however, simultaneously, he is also a shameful being. By calling man a "reed," it reminds us even more of how weak and fragile man is. It is microscopic in comparison to the immensity of the desert. In using this paradox, Pascal describes man in an optimistic and pessimistic way. When Pascal wrote this, he did not intend to make it something literal; as in showing a comparison between the universe and an atom.
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