Blaise Pascal on Duplicity, Sin, and the Fall: The Secret InstinctBlaise Pascal's account of the cognitive consequences of the Fall is clearly set out by William Wood in the first book on Pascal's theology to appear in English in more than forty years. Wood's central claim is that for Pascal, the Fall is a fall into duplicity. Pascal holds that as fallen selves in a fallen world, human beings have an innate aversion to the truth that is also, at the same time, an aversion to God. According to Pascal, we are born into a duplicitous world that shapes us into duplicitous subjects, and so we find it easy to reject God continually and deceive ourselves about our own sinfulness. Pascal's account of the noetic effects of sin has long been overlooked by theologians, but it is both traditional and innovative. It is robustly Augustinian, with a strong emphasis on the fallen will, the darkened intellect, and the fundamental sin of pride. Yet it also embraces a view of subjectivity that seems strikingly contemporary. For Pascal, the self is a fiction, constructed from without by an already duplicitous world. The human subject is habituated to deception because it is the essential glue that holds his world together. This book offers more than just a novel interpretation of Pascal's Pensées. Wood demonstrates, by exegetical argument and constructive example, that 'Pascalian' theology is both possible and fruitful. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
Disordered Love and the Aversion to Truth | 19 |
Pascals Political Theology | 51 |
Pascal on the Fallen Human Subject | 92 |
4 Sin and SelfDeception in Pascals Moral Theology | 121 |
Analytic Philosophy on SelfDeception | 146 |
Morally Culpable SelfPersuasion | 179 |
On Loving the Truth | 212 |
| 227 | |
| 237 | |
Other editions - View all
Blaise Pascal on Duplicity, Sin, and the Fall: The Secret Instinct William Wood Limited preview - 2013 |
Common terms and phrases
accept according to Pascal actions activity analytic argue argument attention avow awareness become believe body Bulstrode calls cause Chapter Christ Christian claim clear cognitive condition constructed contemporary critical deceive deception describes desire discussion disordered diversion duplicitous duplicity empirical engage evidence example exists explicitly fact Fall fallen false follows force fragment habituated happiness heart holds human imaginary imagination immoral important incoherent intentions internal interpretation judgments justice kind logical lying matter means mechanisms mind moral nature not-p object one’s oneself original ourselves paradox Pascal’s account Pascalian Pensées person persuasion philosophical political possible presents Press pride proposition question rational reason recognize remains respect result rhetoric seems self-deception sense sentiment shape shows sinful sinner social society subjectivity suggests surely theological things thought treat true truth turn understand University writes