Abstract

The purpose of this article is to examine Pascal’s conception of imagination in its necessary articulation with the notion of self-love. Derived from Augustinian theology, the notion of self-love is identifed with the notion of pride and is one of the three fundamental cupidities that rule the fallen man when he is not under the action of divine grace. Pascal goes further than Augustine and makes this passion the defning feature of the fallen man, leading him in his tyrannical relationship with other men. The instrument of self-love to achieve its goals is, precisely, imagination, a deceptive faculty that, even against reason, estimates the value of all objects and is the essential factor in determining purely human happiness.