{"product_id":"a-summer-with-pascal-9780674295414","title":"A Summer with Pascal","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom an eminent scholar, a spirited introduction to one of the great polymaths in the history of Europe.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBlaise Pascal (1623-1662) is best known in the English-speaking world for his contributions to mathematics and physics, with both a triangle and a law in fluid mechanics named after him. Meanwhile, the classic film \u003ci\u003eMy Night at Maud's\u003c\/i\u003e popularized Pascal's wager, an invitation to faith that has inspired generations of theologians. Despite the immensity of his reputation, few read him outside French schools. In \u003ci\u003eA Summer with Pascal\u003c\/i\u003e, celebrated literary critic Antoine Compagnon opens our minds to a figure somehow both towering and ignored. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eCompagnon provides a bird's-eye view of Pascal's life and significance, making this volume an ideal introduction. Still, scholars and neophytes alike will profit greatly from his masterful readings of the \u003ci\u003ePensées\u003c\/i\u003e--a cornerstone of Western philosophy--and the \u003ci\u003eProvincial Letters\u003c\/i\u003e, in which Pascal advanced wry theological critiques of his contemporaries. The concise, taut chapters build upon one another, easing into writings often thought to be forbidding and dour. With Compagnon as our guide, these works are not just accessible but enchanting. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Summer with Pascal\u003c\/i\u003e brings the early modern thinker to life in the present. In an age of profound existential doubt and assaults on truth and reason, in which religion and science are so often crudely opposed, Pascal's sophisticated commitment to both challenges us to meet the world with true intellectual vigor.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Belknap Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50593342619922,"sku":"9780674295414","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_bf01f4e3-650a-4a7b-a4a8-7ea0e1833e85.jpg?v=1732115429","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/a-summer-with-pascal-9780674295414","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}