Post Your Answer
1 year ago in History of Philosophy By Kushi Gupta
Is there direct documentary evidence that Blaise Pascal read or engaged with Thomas Hobbes’s De Cive?
 I'm exploring the intellectual context of Pascal's Pensées. Hobbes's bleak view of human nature in De Cive (1642) and Leviathan (1651) seems a provocative foil to Pascal's Jansenist-influenced portrait of wretchedness and greatness. Given their overlapping timelines and the circulation of De Cive in Parisian intellectual circles, it's plausible Pascal knew of Hobbes's work. But is there concrete evidence—a reference in Pascal's letters, a marginal note, or a critique in his writings—that confirms he directly engaged with Hobbes's political philosophy?
All Answers (1 Answers In All)
By Address@gmail.com Answered 1 year ago
This is a fascinating question in intellectual history. While the thematic parallels are strong, no direct, smoking-gun documentary evidence (like a citation or an explicit critique in the Pensées or letters) confirms Pascal read Hobbes. We know Pascal moved in the Mersenne circle, which was a hub for the exchange of new philosophical and scientific ideas, and Hobbes's De Cive was certainly discussed there. However, Pascal's focus was theology and apologetics, not political theory per se. The absence of direct reference suggests that if Pascal was aware of Hobbes (which is highly likely), he did not deem him a primary interlocutor. The shared bleak anthropology likely stems from a common Augustinian/Jansenist heritage rather than direct influence. For a definitive claim, we would need a discovered note or letter; until then, it remains a plausible but unconfirmed intellectual context.
Reply to Address@gmail.com
Related Questions