Pascal, Blaise, 1623-62,
French scientist and religious philosopher. A mathematical prodigy, Pascal
founded the modern theory of probability, discovered the properties of the cycloid, and contributed
to the advance of differential calculus. In physics his experiments in the equilibrium of fluids led to
the invention of the hydraulic press (see HYDRAULIC MACHINERY). As a young man Pascal
came under Jansenist influence (JANSEN, CORNELIS), and after a profound religious experience
in 1654 he entered the convent at Port-Royal, thereafter devoting his attention primarily to religious
writing. His best-known works are Provincial Letters (1656), a defense of the Jansenists; and the
posthumously published Pensées (1670), which preach the necessity of mystic faith in understanding
the universe.
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