Blaise Pascal: Philosopher, Mathematician, Genius.
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– VIDEO NOTES
Graham Tomlin is a British theologian, author and former Church of England bishop.
– LINKS
Get Graham’s book, “Blaise Pascal: The Man Who Made the Modern World”: https://amzn.to/3PxCkWf
Graham’s organisation, Seen and Unseen: https://www.seenandunseen.com
Watch my previous podcast on René Descartes: https://youtu.be/t6Zfzn90chs?si=1wVzHSVbSFRBPgCM
– TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – Can Blaise Pascal Be Categorised?
03:05 – Who Was Blaise Pascal?
11:12 – Pascal’s First Conversion
17:19 – Pascal’s “Night of Fire”
21:59 – Did Pascal Reject Reason?
31:45 – Pascal’s War With Descartes
42:31 – Did Pascal Invent the Bus?
45:42 – The Heart Has Its Reasons, Of Which Reason Knows Nothing
50:03 – How Pascal Invented Probability Theory
52:29 – Pascal’s Wager
1:15:35 – The Pensées
1:18:30 – Pascal’s “Two Minds”
1:22:39 – The Importance of Boredom
1:26:58 – Why Should Atheists Read Pascal?
1:31:34 – What Would Graham Ask Pascal?
– CONNECT
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——————————————
@CosmicSkeptic
July 9, 2026 at 1:47 pm
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@luisfigaro7269
July 9, 2026 at 1:47 pm
fantastic
@JustDavoTV
July 9, 2026 at 1:47 pm
Great interview Alex, really enjoyed it.
To speak to the statement you were making about an atheist or agnostic at least being able to say to God that they weren't sure but at least they didnt follow the wrong God. This is plausible but not within Christian theology. An atheist or an agnostic is just as guilty of false worship, as they worship (or in other words, serve) themselves. So at least in terms of the wager and what you have to lose, worshipping and serving the wrong God would be no different in terms of sin and punishment then being atheistic or agnostic.
@TofunmiTobi
July 9, 2026 at 1:47 pm
"The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob" they keep calling his full govt name and its frying me
@Pearce-j4d
July 9, 2026 at 1:47 pm
And.not.one.of.you.is.a.catholic..
@thebeast5949
July 9, 2026 at 1:47 pm
"There probably has to be a God. Many things are easier to explain if there is than if there isn't… So long as there is the possibility of eternal damnation for nonbelievers it is more logical to be a believer at the end." John von Neumann
The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom Proverbs 9:10
Never expose an asset to infinite liability when the cost of total protection is entirely within your control.
Considering the beauty and aesthetic and spiritual experience argument are all fine and good but at the end of the day the possibility of eternal damnation should be the priority of focus as the matter of survival and rational side of it
@Kevin-v7y5p
July 9, 2026 at 1:47 pm
There is a new outbreak of Ebola in Central Africa. Many people have already been infected. Please, pray to God and beg Him to save the people of Africa from Ebola.
Thank You
May God bless you.
♥️
@Eslam_Teleb
July 9, 2026 at 1:47 pm
“Verily I saw unto you; premise one:”
@HamidAljami
July 9, 2026 at 1:47 pm
we believe that Jesus peace be upon him didn’t die Allah raised him up and when Allah send Jesus down in the earth he shall live among us maybe 40 years leading the world then he will die normal death because he will be old man and raise back to life On the Day of Resurrection together with the all people
@marybarker4925
July 9, 2026 at 1:47 pm
Just an aside, I don't think that Islam says that all non-Muslims are going to hell.
@growthisfreedomunitedearth7584
July 9, 2026 at 1:47 pm
TL;DR
"I'll take my chances"
<3 to the people
@carlsong6438
July 9, 2026 at 1:47 pm
I like this guy and he seems decent, but goddamn all the "yeah"s and "yep"s while alex is speaking are annoying af
@kevinvanhorn2193
July 9, 2026 at 1:47 pm
"God Is Not Rational" should be shortened to just "God Is Not".
@joannware6228
July 9, 2026 at 1:47 pm
Atheists often assert that they need direct(concrete) evidence that they themselves can verify before they can believe it. Just show them the facts. This practice is based on the scientific method and enables them to acquire the only really accurate knowledge. Furthermore it is only in the modern era when this practice or method has been fully developed and refined as a result of the great success of science and technology. Earlier generations were just ignorant and accepted as knowledge much that has now been proven to be clearly false when subjected to the scrutiny of the modern mind.
However this mindset is based on two major fallacies, one that only direct evidence is valid and two that an individual on his own without faith in others can verify that evidence.
"Both direct and circumstantial evidence are legally treated as equally valid, but most cases rely heavily on circumstantial evidence, which often influences more convictions than direct evidence alone." Bing
" Pure Discovery: A hermit, independently observing and reasoning about natural phenomena, might theoretically learn without faith in others, though in reality such purely isolated learning is rare and constrained." Bing
You believe in me, Thomas, because you have seen me, says the Lord;
blessed are those who have not seen, but still believe! John 20:29
@nedaaidrows2476
July 9, 2026 at 1:47 pm
One of my favourites! Well done both 🙏🏼
@whycreepy
July 9, 2026 at 1:47 pm
I really hate Samsung!
@JohnRobertson-w4i
July 9, 2026 at 1:47 pm
I like the idea that they have had a long fascinating conversation about a scrap of paper written when someone was high.
@ChamindasYoga
July 9, 2026 at 1:47 pm
That sickness we feel is called dukka. The Buddha provides a way out without the need for any gods
@johnsteve1789
July 9, 2026 at 1:47 pm
Tyreke evans
@terencemiller2602
July 9, 2026 at 1:47 pm
Graham Tomlin has a habit of making encouraging little hums and yups while you're talking and I just love it. It makes me feel all fuzzy behind my ears.
@chalykoff
July 9, 2026 at 1:47 pm
The heart in Pascal can be understood in the same way that mood is used in Heidegger, as the most basic way of understanding the human condition. "Heart" and "mood" are equivalent symbolizations of the same experience.
@deathrager2404
July 9, 2026 at 1:47 pm
god is not fair, righteouss, just, or love. he creates innocent children to be punished for the sins of their parents. that is as evil as it gets. why do people give him a freepass?
@Marychelle
July 9, 2026 at 1:47 pm
Why aren’t people applying Pascal’s wager to climate change?
@leebarry5686
July 9, 2026 at 1:47 pm
West philosophy is rootless, on whims only, because of its falsehood of religion.
@Karmacore23
July 9, 2026 at 1:47 pm
For the record Islam believes Christian’s and Jewish people also qualify for heaven if they’re good people as they consider it the same concept of the one god
@splarhlghandaeg-sr4uj
July 9, 2026 at 1:47 pm
1:30:00 "no intellectual barrier… it just doesn't seem like the way 'god' would behave". that's certainly odd, since it seems to bear out that there there is an intellectual barrier for faith, it's just a ceiling, not a floor.
@Hodge_6
July 9, 2026 at 1:47 pm
1:34:30
@ntme9
July 9, 2026 at 1:47 pm
Horrible analogy, how am I to know that plank doesn't have termites?
@rl7012
July 9, 2026 at 1:47 pm
Atheism is not rational.
@RonMarkson_g9k
July 9, 2026 at 1:47 pm
Maybe because he was sick all his life, Pascal was a sick man, not a healthy like Descartes. Pascal needs the sick and suffering of Jesus Christ, the rejected Jew.
@jdlc903
July 9, 2026 at 1:47 pm
I think metaphysical arguments are great first and necessary step to any
@S.D.323
July 9, 2026 at 1:47 pm
Yep God is NOT rational alright
@DouglasStarr-u4h
July 9, 2026 at 1:47 pm
There is a lot of pragmatism in Pascal
Comments are closed.