French Literature Reviews - 2026
Vincent Carraud, Pascal: On Certainty
Philosophy, Anthropology and Ideas
At the center of the Memorial, Pascal posits the "greatness of the human soul." What constitutes the greatness of the soul is thought, insofar as it opens access to the truth. In his reflection on thought, Pascal was the first to acknowledge the new Cartesian definition of truth as certainty: the judgment exercised by the will liberates it, rendering thought certain—not only capable of God, but certain of God. Faith, conceived as an act of the will, must confer this certainty by interpreting the Pauline "I know whom I have believed" through a Cartesian lens. Thus, Pascal integrates "the true religion" into the novel framework of man's position, even though the latter is paradoxically understood as distance, disposition, or disproportion.
Such is the meaning of this assertion in the Memorial, and such is the thesis of this book. Pascal applies Cartesian rigor to Pauline power. Starting from the concept of certainty or converging toward it, this study demonstrates the permanence of this guiding thread and measures the shifts that, over the course of five or six years, characterized the evolution of Pascal's drafts, polarized around The True Religion. The order of the chapters thus imposed itself naturally, historically documented and philosophically argued: prior to the project of writing On the True Religion, during this unfulfilled endeavor for an apologetics of gentleness, or finally after it, in order to describe conversion as the conformity of the will.
When evaluated against this guiding thread, several difficulties find their resolution: Is there a substantial truth? How can one make an idol of truth itself? Why must God's justice be as immense as His mercy? What is the meaning of the principle "nature everywhere marks a lost God"? Is conversion defined as presence in the present?
Professor of the History of Modern Philosophy at the Sorbonne and Director of the Center for Cartesian Studies, Vincent Carraud was awarded the French Academy's Grand Prix for Philosophy in 2010 for his collected works. He co-directs the journal Les Études philosophiques and the "Épiméthée" series at Puf.
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Contents
The Memorial: On Certainty (November 1654) Before On the True Religion Pascal and Sacy's Conversation: An Interpretation of Montaigne (Early 1655) Truth and Charity (1655) "He has no relation to us": Mercy and Justice (1655) The Maxim of Slander (December 1656) Metaphysical Subtlety and Supposition (Winter 1655–1656) Impossibility, Incapacity, Disproportion (Early 1657) On the True Religion Pascal's Design: An Apologetics of Gentleness (Mid-1657) The True Religion (Mid-1657) a) Saint Augustine, De vera religione: nulla natura interposita b) Pascal, The True Religion
Appendix: "Chosisms: Étienne Gilson as a Reader of Pascal"
After On the True Religion Admiring the Original: The Last Supper of Port-Royal de Paris (1658 or 1659) Boredom (1658 or 1659) Presence (1658–1659) Unity (1658–1659)
Appendix: "On Destruction. Metaphysics and the Idea of Sacrifice According to Condren"
On Friendship: Chanut, Descartes, and Pascal The Prayer for the Proper Use of Illness
In the intellectual tradition of modern philosophy, the intersection of Cartesian thought and theological inquiry has long remained a central area of critical investigation. Within the history of French philosophy, the transition from classical metaphysics to seventeenth-century apologetics involves complex negotiations between reason, will, and faith. This study by Vincent Carraud examines how Blaise Pascal engages with the new Cartesian definition of truth as certainty, integrating the concept into his reflection on the greatness of the human soul. Readers interested in seventeenth-century philosophy, Cartesianism, or the evolution of Pascalian apologetics may find this volume relevant to their pursuits.
The volume traces the guiding thread of certainty across a sequence of historical and philosophical inquiries, addressing topics such as the conversion of the will, the project of an apologetics of gentleness, and the interpretation of Pauline texts through a Cartesian lens. By following the chronological development of Pascal's drafts and reflections around the theme of the true religion, the study clarifies difficulties related to justice, mercy, and human disproportion. The discussion extends to related texts and conversations, including exchanges concerning Montaigne, Saint Augustine, and Descartes, situating Pascal's evolving thought within its broader seventeenth-century context.