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Making Sense of It All: Pascal and the Meaning of Life
An instructive and entertaining book that addresses basic life questions. Relating numerous personal anecdotes, incorporating, intriguing material from the films of Woody Allen and the journals of Leo Tolstoy, and using the writings of the seventeenth-century genius Blaise Pascal as a central guide, Morris explores the nature of faith, reason, and the meaning of life. His lucid reflections provide fresh, fertile insights and perspectives for any thoughtful person journeying through life.
226 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
October 12, 2017
I'm giving four stars to anything that gives insight into Pascal's work. it is highly readable and informative. The Woody Allen bits and attempts to make it modern and jokey don't really add anything , but, other than that, it is a fairly clear and thoughtful attempt to make Pascal accessible. I liked how he dealt with Pascal's 'custom is our nature' and his 'hidden god'. Good.
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May 16, 20174-4.5 stars
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September 6, 2012
A few nights ago I watched the movie "Of Gods and Men," an award-winning French film about eight Trappist monks in Algeria in the 1990's, ministering to a local village, and threatened both by a band of young men with guns (Islamists? terrorists? thugs? bandits?) and by the local police/army.They are almost surely going to be killed by one side or the other, and there are intense discussions among them about what they should do. One kindly old monk remarks that he has just read in Pascal "Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction." It was amazing to me the hear that when I was in the course of reading this book. Pascal was a brilliant mathematician (he more or less invented our modern mathematics of probability), a scientist,and a devout Catholic who on Nov. 23, 1654 had what was apparently a unitive vision of God, a life-altering experience. His Pensees are a classic of introspection, devotion, and philosophical speculation. Mostly he is known today for his famous "wager" on whether it is better to bet on the existence of God or the non-existence. Its implications are usually vastly oversimplified, as this book points out in fascinating detail. Thomas Morris was a professor of philosophy at Notre Dame, and is thus a very sympathetic interpreter of Pascal. His book is usually enlightening, but occasionally a bit simplistic (for example, he enthusiastically endorses C.S. Lewis's "Trilemma"[there's a good article on it in Wikipedia] which even 30 years ago when I first encountered it I thought was pretty naive. Most modern theologians have had the same reaction.)But Morris has a gift for apt illustration, although I got a little tired of his repeated endorsements of the views of Woody Allen. I liked this book well enough to look forward to his "Bluffer's Guide to Philosophy," which sounds like it's right up my alley.
May 19, 2013
This book is one of a very, very few books I put in a crucial category indeed: Christian books, written by well-qualified Christian intellectuals, that you could give to a non-Christian-and-non-academic-but-intelligent reader.
Yes, there's C. S. Lewis. And then there's...well, not many.
The book now seems a little dated in a few of its references to popular culture. But the wit and wisdom have generally worn well, and there is plenty of them both on every page.
Tom Morris was a brilliant philosopher at the University of Notre Dame who left a tenured professorship to bring philosophy to business--and beyond (he is the author of Philosophy for Dummies, among other popular books). His quite extraordinary ability to render powerful ideas in a popular way shows up nowhere better than here.
If you're a Christian, you'll be the better for reading this book. And then you'll want to buy copies to give to your smart friends. And, as I say, there aren't many books like that.
Yes, there's C. S. Lewis. And then there's...well, not many.
The book now seems a little dated in a few of its references to popular culture. But the wit and wisdom have generally worn well, and there is plenty of them both on every page.
Tom Morris was a brilliant philosopher at the University of Notre Dame who left a tenured professorship to bring philosophy to business--and beyond (he is the author of Philosophy for Dummies, among other popular books). His quite extraordinary ability to render powerful ideas in a popular way shows up nowhere better than here.
If you're a Christian, you'll be the better for reading this book. And then you'll want to buy copies to give to your smart friends. And, as I say, there aren't many books like that.
January 30, 2015
Clear, concise writing and thoughtful explanations. I may have not agreed with everything, but I enjoyed the journey and thought a lot about my own life.
August 5, 2024
Pascal's words are so potent. I'd appreciate a better proportion of his words over Morris'. Some of my favorite Pascal passages were not in here, some of which is understandable as they relate to peripheral points. Overall, Kreeft's Pascal book (Christianity for Modern Pagans) is better, but it's quite a bit longer and has a title that makes it unfit to give to nonbelievers. Thus, this is a better starting point for evangelism than Kreeft's.
What's here though is very poignantly relevant to sift through today's apatheism in its various forms. Pascal is my favorite philosopher, using a both/and approach to slice through the Gordian knot of modern heresies and imbalances on both sides. Not only is he a proto-existentialist, but in the realm of paradox, he's a proto-Chesterton.
Also, I already knew that Pascal is the second most accomplished person who ever lived (after Aristotle) and yet still learned impressive things about him from this book.
What's here though is very poignantly relevant to sift through today's apatheism in its various forms. Pascal is my favorite philosopher, using a both/and approach to slice through the Gordian knot of modern heresies and imbalances on both sides. Not only is he a proto-existentialist, but in the realm of paradox, he's a proto-Chesterton.
Also, I already knew that Pascal is the second most accomplished person who ever lived (after Aristotle) and yet still learned impressive things about him from this book.
May 22, 2018
Starts off strong, gets tough to slog through, but is worth the effort.
Blaise Pascal, who you know of because of his being a child (and adult) prodigy in math, physics, and invention, turns out to have been a pretty interesting guy. And to my surprise (at least before discovering this fact & the book) his powerful mind also housed a passionate and strong Christian theologian.
Pascal assembled his thoughts about the latter (collectively named the "Penseés") for a to-be-published Christian apologia. It was presumably intended for the intelligentsia in his social / career circles. These thoughts express his conviction that thoughtful, smart individuals must inevitably see the integrity and inevitability of belief in Christianity once faced with the logic he would lay out in the book. Sadly, he perished before he formally wrote this Apology for the Christian Faith.
This author brings us Pascal's work. He doesn't simply walk through the Penses in (numbered) sequence, because they weren't intended by Pascal to be presented that way. Instead, this author assembles them into Pascal's system of belief, organizing the human and the theistic logical proofs the author thinks Pascal was making.
I found the first part of the book to be super interesting & strong because it was written in a way I could highlight passages, which - together - created an outline for the case being made. That early portion provided me very interesting structure for reflection.
The second half of the book, though, lent itself less-well to this; I could not there find an effective way to capture the thoughts & proofs for later consideration. That (roughly) second half of the book simply didn't have the helpful structure of writing that the first half enjoyed. Thus it didn't compel me to sit down in long enough stretches of time to consume it effectively - despite likely containing much more significant elements of Pascal's case.
Nonetheless, despite giving it a less-than-perfect rating, I'd still recommend this book to two readers: a) Christians seeking to deepen their faith by incorporating the thinking of great Christian thinkers of history, and b) skeptical non-believers who are willing to do their homework to know how acknowledged brilliant minds can accept the Christian way - even if the skeptics are doing to in order to better argue against the faith. Neither reader will be perfectly served, but both will be humbled by the mental power of Pascal, and both are likely to be forced to grapple hard with many of the theological arguments Pascal makes - which may cause them some consternation.
Blaise Pascal, who you know of because of his being a child (and adult) prodigy in math, physics, and invention, turns out to have been a pretty interesting guy. And to my surprise (at least before discovering this fact & the book) his powerful mind also housed a passionate and strong Christian theologian.
Pascal assembled his thoughts about the latter (collectively named the "Penseés") for a to-be-published Christian apologia. It was presumably intended for the intelligentsia in his social / career circles. These thoughts express his conviction that thoughtful, smart individuals must inevitably see the integrity and inevitability of belief in Christianity once faced with the logic he would lay out in the book. Sadly, he perished before he formally wrote this Apology for the Christian Faith.
This author brings us Pascal's work. He doesn't simply walk through the Penses in (numbered) sequence, because they weren't intended by Pascal to be presented that way. Instead, this author assembles them into Pascal's system of belief, organizing the human and the theistic logical proofs the author thinks Pascal was making.
I found the first part of the book to be super interesting & strong because it was written in a way I could highlight passages, which - together - created an outline for the case being made. That early portion provided me very interesting structure for reflection.
The second half of the book, though, lent itself less-well to this; I could not there find an effective way to capture the thoughts & proofs for later consideration. That (roughly) second half of the book simply didn't have the helpful structure of writing that the first half enjoyed. Thus it didn't compel me to sit down in long enough stretches of time to consume it effectively - despite likely containing much more significant elements of Pascal's case.
Nonetheless, despite giving it a less-than-perfect rating, I'd still recommend this book to two readers: a) Christians seeking to deepen their faith by incorporating the thinking of great Christian thinkers of history, and b) skeptical non-believers who are willing to do their homework to know how acknowledged brilliant minds can accept the Christian way - even if the skeptics are doing to in order to better argue against the faith. Neither reader will be perfectly served, but both will be humbled by the mental power of Pascal, and both are likely to be forced to grapple hard with many of the theological arguments Pascal makes - which may cause them some consternation.
December 28, 2014
Morris is so easy to read, and he deals with complex philosophical issues in a manner that make them accessible and comprehensible. Pascal's Pensees is a random collection of thoughts and ideas that were never put into their proper, final form; Morris comes along and takes these puzzle pieces and provides context--a philosophical and theological framework into which they would have originally fit.
The first time through I marked a lot of passages, but I feel as if one reading isn't adequate to absorbing all of the wisdom and brilliance to be gleaned. I'll definitely be reading this again in the near future.
The first time through I marked a lot of passages, but I feel as if one reading isn't adequate to absorbing all of the wisdom and brilliance to be gleaned. I'll definitely be reading this again in the near future.
January 13, 2020
"This book is exceptional; I should like to encourage all my friends, enemies, and those in between to read it as well."
March 2, 2011
Wish the Pensees could be dealt with as a whole and not as a collection of Proverbs? This is the book for you.
February 10, 2016
A breakdown and investigation into the thoughts of one of the most interesting philosophers I've read.
April 30, 2014
One of my favorite all time books
March 16, 2019
One of my most memorable books from college, this was required reading for my Faith & Philosophy class at SPU.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews