What it's about

The notes for a defence of Christianity a great mathematician left unfinished at his death: on the misery and greatness of man, diversion, the wager, and the God of Abraham, not of the philosophers. Sharp, short, and unforgettable.

Reading plan

Pick a finish date and Genius lays out the days — the plan shows today's target and keeps you honest.

Read together

Start a circle and share the code — everyone sees everyone's honest place in the book. Accountability, not leaderboards.

Who it's for

- Skeptics who respect a first-rate mind - Readers who like thought in fragments they can take one at a time - Anyone who has heard of Pascal's wager and wants the source

What’s inside

1
PASCAL'S PROFESSION OF FAITH.
1 min
2
GENERAL INTRODUCTION.
14 min
3
FOR THE GENERAL INTRODUCTION.
3 min
4
PREFACE TO THE FIRST PART.
2 min
5
MAN'S DISPROPORTION.
23 min
6
DIVERSION.
15 min
7
THE GREATNESS AND LITTLENESS OF MAN.
9 min
8
OF THE DECEPTIVE POWERS OF THE IMAGINATION.
15 min
9
OF JUSTICE, CUSTOMS, AND PREJUDICES.
18 min
10
THE WEAKNESS, UNREST, AND DEFECTS OF MAN.
24 min
11
PREFACE TO THE SECOND PART.
4 min
12
OF THE NEED OF SEEKING TRUTH.
17 min
13
THE PHILOSOPHERS.
14 min
14
THOUGHTS ON MAHOMET AND ON CHINA.
4 min
15
OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE.
7 min
16
THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE SACRED BOOKS.
7 min
17
THE PROPHECIES.
42 min
18
OF TYPES IN GENERAL AND OF THEIR LAWFULNESS.
15 min
19
THAT THE JEWISH LAW WAS FIGURATIVE.
15 min
20
OF THE TRUE RELIGION AND ITS CHARACTERISTICS.
7 min
21
THE EXCELLENCE OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.
10 min
22
OF ORIGINAL SIN.
8 min
23
THE PERPETUITY OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.
8 min
24
PROOFS OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.
14 min

Showing the first 24 of 33 chapters — open the book for the rest.

Pensées

What it's about

Reading plan

Read together

Who it's for

What’s inside

What readers say

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Pensées

What it's about

Reading plan

Read together

Who it's for

What’s inside

What readers say

Read next