Pensees, Series, Sections 37-40, Mathematics/Intuition Summary and Analysis

Pascal in Section 37: Human beings enjoy the fight much more than the victory. People are not taught virtue but only everything else. Pascal next reviews some notes on what to discuss in the prefaces to the book he was working on when he died. The second preface note makes clear that the book is intended as a defense of Christianity. Human begins are hostile to perfection. And the semi-Pelagians and Calvinists make common errors in their debates.

Section 38: if everyone knew all of what others said about them, almost no one would have friends. Christianity is justified to Pascal in accord with its already divine morality. Both Muslims and logicians make up laws for themselves in place of God's laws. Sex does not make man weak, but the desire will. Men...