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The Pensées ('Thoughts') is a collection of fragments written by the French 17th-century philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal. Pascal's religious conversion led him into a life of asceticism, and the Pensées was in many ways his life's work. It represented Pascal's defense of the Christian religion, and the concept of'Pascal's wager'stems from a portion of this work.

'I know of no religious writer more pertinent to our time.'— T. S. Eliot, Introduction to Pensées'Men despise religion. They hate it and are afraid it may be true,'declared Pascal in his Pensées.'The cure for this,'he explained,'is first to show that religion is not contrary to reason, but worthy of reverence and respect. Next make it attractive, make good men wish it were true, and then show that it is.'Motivated by the 17th-century view of the supremacy of human reason, Pascal (1623-62) had intended to write an ambitious apologia for Christianity, in which he argued the inability of reason to address metaphysical problems. His untimely death prevented his completion of the work, but the fragments published posthumously in 1670 form a vital part of religious and philosophical literature. Essential reading for students of history, philosophy, and theology, the Pensées remain among the liveliest and most eloquent defenses of Christianity ever written.

É impossível definir em poucas palavras a filosofia de Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), porque ela ultrapassa em muito a reflexão apologética a que, frequentemente, tende a ser reduzida. Pascal foi um homem múltiplo, interessado por diferentes campos do saber e radicalmente envolvido com as grandes questões de sua época. É a essa pluralidade que a presente coletânea se dedica. Aqui se encontram reflexões sobre método, geometria, física, política, espiritualidade e polêmica religiosa. Do célebre Do espírito geométrico e Da arte de persuadir ao inédito em português Escrito sobre a assinatura do formulário, os dez opúsculos e cartas aqui reunidos são acompanhados de prefácio, introdução e notas, e foram integralmente traduzidos a partir da edição crítica das Obras Completas elaborada por J. Mesnard.

'Pensieri'di Blaise Pascal è tra le opere filosofiche più note, lette e amate anche dai non specialisti, rappresenta il tentativo di una grande apologia della fede cristiana. In 800 aforismi di grande finezza retorica, Pascal difende, contro il razionalismo e la sua ingenua pretesa di spiegare tutto, le ragioni del cuore, capace per intuizione di arrivare fino a Dio. Dalla prima edizione, postuma, del 1670 ad oggi, si sono succedute nel tempo numerose edizioni dei Pensieri di Pascal, di volta in volta organizzate secondo diversi criteri filologici e interpretativi. La presente traduzione è stata eseguita sul testo della nuova edizione (2003) delle'Pensées'a cura di Philippe Sellier che dispone i dossier secondo l'ordine indicato da Pascal.

Intended to convert religiously indifferent readers to Christianity, Pascal's Pensees were published posthumously to wide and ongoing acclaim. This selection of highlights from the Pensees focuses on their most secular aspects, including extensive coverage of the author's sensitive examination of human psychology and his much-appreciated epigrams. Pascal's Provincial Letters, written in 1656 and 1657 in support of the Jansenist cause, captivated a large audience (including opponents of the cause) with their satirical wit, righteous indignation, and effervescent style. This is the only dual-language edition available.