*Includes pictures *Includes contemporary accounts *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading *Includes a table of contents “People almost invariably arrive at their beliefs not on the basis of proof but on the basis of what they find attractive.” – Blaise Pascal Blaise Pascal’s time on earth may have been brief – no more than 39 years – but this unconventionally educated, yet brilliant scientist, mathematician, and man of letters accomplished more than most people could hope to achieve in two lifetimes. The SI unit of pressure, Pascal, is named after this polymath, and he is the namesake of a procedural programming language designed by Niklaus Wirth between the years of 1968 and 1969. On top of the countless busts, statues, and plaques erected in his honor, several institutions bear his name, as does a university in his hometown of Clermont-Ferrand. The Blaise Pascal Chairs, a glittering accolade awarded to exceptional international scientists every year, was also established in his honor. How did Blaise Pascal leave such a legacy in such a short amount of time? Blaise The Life and Legacy of the Legendary French Mathematician and Theologian examines the life and work that made him one of modern history’s most important figures. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Pascal like never before.
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Pascal was a brilliantly complicated man. I went into this biography thinking that Pascal's wager was kind of a joke, but turns out it was actually kind of a warning. I have read some of Pascal's work in the past but never a biography of the man. I can't say how this one compares to the many others, but I can say that everyone who loves to understand brilliant people who did great things should read about Blaise Pascal, and this book is a good start.
This is essentially a summary of secondary sources, which makes it a sort of "super Wikipedia article." It's not a biography in how I usually understand that word.
I think I was also disappointed that the book doesn't have page numbers. That's a simple thing, but it makes it feel like a Wikipedia article instead of a book.