Pascal

In Our Time: Philosophy

BBC

History

4.5 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 19 September 2013

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Melvyn Bragg and his guests begin a new series of the programme with a discussion of the French polymath Blaise Pascal. Born in 1623, Pascal was a brilliant mathematician and scientist, inventing one of the first mechanical calculators and making important discoveries about fluids and vacuums while still a young man. In his thirties he experienced a religious conversion, after which he devoted most of his attention to philosophy and theology. Although he died in his late thirties, Pascal left a formidable legacy as a scientist and pioneer of probability theory, and as one of seventeenth century Europe's greatest writers. With: David Wootton Anniversary Professor of History at the University of York Michael Moriarty Drapers Professor of French at the University of Cambridge Michela Massimi Senior Lecturer in the Philosophy of Science at the University of Edinburgh. Producer: Thomas Morris.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Thank you for downloading this episode of In Our Time.
0:02.4	For more details about in our time and for our terms of use please go to BBC.co.
0:07.1	UK slash radio4.
0:09.1	I hope you enjoy the program.
0:11.1	Hello the first practical calculating machine was invented in 1642 by the 19 year old son of a tax inspector who wanted to find a way to make his father's job easier.
0:21.0	His name was Bla Pascal, and although he's credited
0:24.6	one of the major inventions of the 17th century it's not his most celebrated
0:28.6	achievement. Pascal was one of history's great polymaths, a scholar who made significant contributions to mathematics,
0:35.2	physics, philosophy and religious thought. Today scientists measure pressure in Pascal's,
0:40.5	a unit named after him in honor of his work on gases. He's also remembered for Pascal's a unit named after him in honor of his work on gases.
0:43.4	He's also remembered for Pascal's triangle and for Pascal's wager, an argument for the existence
0:48.8	of God which brings together religion and probability theory.
0:52.4	And his most famous book, The Ponsei, is celebrated as one of the best
0:56.1	and most elegantly written works of French literature. He died in his late 30s.
1:00.6	With me to discuss the life and work of Bles Pascal are David Wooten, Professor of History at the University of York.
1:07.0	Michael Moriarty, Draper's Professor of French at the University of Cambridge, Michaela Massimi, Senior lecture in philosophy of in the philosophy of science at the
1:16.0	University of Edinburgh.
1:17.6	David Wooten, Blas Pascal was born in 1623.
1:21.0	Would you give us some sense of what was going on in France at the time?
1:24.0	Right, but in simple terms, this is the world of the Three Musketeers.
1:27.0	France is at war with Spain and with the Habsburg Empire throughout the whole of Pascal's life effectively.
1:33.8	Rischia comes to power in France when Pascal is one year old,
	...

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