Blaise Pascal, the Jansenists and the Jesuits: Explication of the Confrontation

The article examines the conflict between the Jesuits and the Jansenists, and its reflection in the scientific legacy of the outstanding French thinker B. Pascal. The reasons for the popularity of his “Letters to the Provincial”, their insufficiently critical perception and the generally accepted assessment of the Jesuit and Jansenist polemics in the historical and philosophical space are noted. The reasons and causes of their confrontation are shown, which were connected not only with religious issues, in particular, with the attempt by the Jesuits to critically comprehend certain provisions of the strict morality of the early church but also with the socio-political position of the Jansenists, leading them to confrontation with the French government. The problems related to probabilism and its place not only in the religious and ethical space, but also in the methodology of scientific cognition are separately noted. The “Letters to the Provincial” by B. Pascal are contextually analyzed. It is shown that the author’s use of the pseudonym L. de Montalt in their publication has a reference to the lay name of Pope Sixtus V and testifies to the initially subjective attitude of the French thinker to the conflict between the Jesuits and the Jansenists. The interrelation between the personality of B. Pascal and his views on this conflict in particular and religious issues in general is noted. The distancing of B. Pascal from the scientific approach, as a result of his acceptance of Jansenism, traced in the “Letters to the Provincial”, is revealed. His views on science, religion, and philosophy in later “Thoughts” are considered. Examples of the author’s negative attitude toward various aspects of scientific and philosophical knowledge are demonstrated. It is noted that the French scientist’s appeal to religion came into conflict with his scientific activity and led to its termination. In conclusion, the results of the confrontation between the Jesuits and the Jansenists in historical retrospect are summarized, and its relationship with the Enlightenment and the French Revolution is traced.