Transition

Abstract

The Pensées section ‘Transition from the knowledge of man to the knowledge of God’ is not so much concerned to propel an argument forward as to deepen insights already arrived at in earlier sections. Pascal stresses the radical contingency of the human condition, as manifested in our subjection to custom. He invites the reader to consider the two infinites: we are imperceptibly small in the vastness of the universe, yet there are imperceptible creatures in relation to whom we are colossal. Our fundamental nature is incomprehensible either in dualist or in non-dualist terms. There is a gulf between conscious humanity (the ‘thinking reed’) and unconscious matter. Our distinctive attribute is the power of thought, and we must cultivate this if we are to respond appropriately to our condition.