The Spirit of the Rules: Pascal's Critique of Logic

Abstract: This paper aims to show that Pascal's criticism of logicians in the De l'Art de persuader sheds light on his epistemological purposes through a meditation on the “spirit” of the rules of geometry. By examining Pascal's conception of logic, this study identifies the semantic motive behind the rejection of Scholastic logic, dismissed as a confusing and artificial sign system arising from a misunderstanding of the fundamental rules of geometry regarding definition. This ultimately allows us to reexamine Pascal's relation to formal logic, revealing the role it plays in several places of his epistemology, more specifically with reference to his conception of the nature and truth of principles.