Pascal’s Trinitarian Counter-Anthropology

Abstract

Pascal’s discussion of the human person, one which may be considered existential in nature, continues to be a prominent topic in philosophical and theological circles today. It is clear to many that Pascal espouses different notions of the human person, which can be divided into two, namely (a) considered “as and by himself, without God,” and (b) with belief in God. Given this dual anthropology that stems from Pascal’s apologetic project in the Pensées, this paper proposes to extend this understanding in relation to the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, something that Pascal only passes over in his Pensées but is rich with meaning and interpretation. Through the help of an anthropology that is grounded in the Trinity, thus as a theological proposition, the paper hopes to gain a greater understanding of Pascal’s apologetic by mapping out his counter-anthropology, that is, a life lived in the love of God and within the so-called order of charity.