The Given Child: The Religions' Contributions to Children's Citizenship (Research in Contemp... Book

Pascal has caused atheists to doubt their atheism more often than Nietzsche has theists their theism - why? Because those that let their hearts guide their thoughts are never in doubt, but those who unwisely look to results to guide them, as macho ubermensches perforce exclusively must, are always finding their conviction to be as slippery as the passing moment (no one result ever convinces the result-minded). Recognizing this, Pascal places a weighty emphasis on the heart and the nature of its law, which is ultimately inscrutable but much less so than the world around us; he hauntingly chastises our placing undue emphasis on rationality, saying "Contradiction is no more an indication of falsehood than lack of it an indication of truth." Yeah! Pascal - the master dialectician. Indeed, so masterful is Pascal, one truly cannot believe an atheist sincere if s/he has not read him; at least I cannot, for the thought contained here remains, for science has done nothing to weaken its impact, the epitome of profundity.