Episode #032 ... Blaise Pascal pt. 2 - +EV your way to success!!

Philosophize This!

Stephen West

Philosophy, Society & Culture, Education

4.8 • 17.1K Ratings

🗓️ 19 August 2014

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

On this episode of the podcast we continue our discussion of Blaise Pascal, this time focusing on his assertion that man is “the supreme paradox of creation.” First, we learn about Pascal’s early life and feel completely inadequate when we learn that he invented the calculator (yes, the calculator) at age 18. Next, we learn why Pascal believed it was impossible to arrive at scientific truth, and how this led him to develop the foundations of probability theory. Finally, we discuss "expected value" and how Barack Obama utilized it to secure his residency in the White House and avoid living underneath a freeway overpass. All this and more on the latest episode of Philosophize This! Thank you so much for listening! Could never do this without your help. Website: https://www.philosophizethis.org/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/philosophizethis Social: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philosophizethispodcast X: https://twitter.com/iamstephenwest Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/philosophizethisshow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	For more information about this or any episode of the podcast, check out the website at
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0:06.4	We have additional content, further reading, transcripts of every show, all three, of course.
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0:29.6	One percentage goes back to the show.
0:31.3	It may just be a click for you, but every little bit adds up.
0:34.3	Thank you for wanting to know more today than you did yesterday.
0:37.2	And I hope you love the show.
0:39.6	Blaze Pascal famously said that all of us living right now, and the condition that we find
0:44.5	ourselves living through, this crazy roller coaster that we're on, he refers to it as
0:50.2	the supreme paradox of creation.
0:53.7	Man is the great paradox of creation.
0:56.0	He said that as humans, we constantly live in a state of both the highest grander and
1:02.2	the deepest misery simultaneously.
1:05.6	But why?
1:07.2	What is it about man that could possibly account for that sort of variance?
1:11.4	I mean, he's obviously calling us out as a species, right?
1:15.5	He didn't say living creatures on planet earth or this way.
	...

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