blaise pascal’s and michel de montaigne’s concept of diversion: a comparative study

8/18/2019 Blaise Pascal’s and Michel de Montaigne’s Concept of Diversion: A Comparative Study

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Blaise Pascal’s and Michel de Montaigne’s

Concept of Diversion: A Comparative Study

_________________________________________

A Bachelor’s Thesis

Submitted to

San Carlos Seminary College

Faculty of Philosophy

John Paul II Avenue ! "u#! Cebu City

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

A %e&uirement for the

'egree of Bachelor of Arts!

(a)or in Philosophy

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Sem *ilson Aringoy Jerusalem

(arch +,-.

APPR !A" S#$$%


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This thesis entitled/

Blaise Pascal’s and (ichel de (ontaigne’s Concept of

'iversion/ A Comparative Study

Prepared and submitted by S0( *I"S12 A%I2314

J0%5SA"0( has been approved and accepted as partial ful6llment

of the re&uirements for the degree of BAC70"1% 1F A%TS(AJ1% I2 P7I"1S1P74

PA20" 1F 08A(I20%S

Approved by the Committee on 1ral 09amination :ith a grade of &'(

on Feb +;! +,-.

(sgr Joseph C Tan

Chairman

%ev Fr Brian C Brigoli %ev Fr Philip '

Pepito

Panel (ember Panel (ember

(sgr Joseph C Tan

'ean of Studies

Faculty of Philosophy


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-

Ac)no*ledgement

This research :ould not have been possible :ithout the

assiduous help of those :ho have contributed to its accomplishment Itis my delight to recall all of them :ho )ourneyed :ith me since the

start At 6rst! I found it hard to consider :hat topic to :rite 4et!

because of them! this venture has been reali#ed For that reason! it

indeed deserves mentioning them

For my parents ! Felicisima and 0ugenio Jerusalem! :hohave tirelessly reminded me to al:ays move for:ard despite the manychallenges in life and for my siblings :ho are al:ays ready to listen to

my needs! material and spiritual

For my benefactors ! Saint 3abriel the ArchangelParish and (ayor (arilyn S *enceslao! :ho have supported me

6nancially in the seminary for almost 6ve years at present

For the Class of 0scobas / 3io Abastillas<Creighton 3uiseppe Cabuguas< (ychael Phylip Catingub< Jomar 'elos

Santos< 2eil 7arvey 3ador< Jaime Jr 7ermita< 'arren Christian %ay

"angit< 7arvey =incent "ariego< 8avier Anthony "epiten< 2oel (enoso<

Junrey 1rope#a< 'anilo %abe Jr < %oliecris Sitsit< (el&uiades 'icdican<

Chayle Sa:ey< and >yle A&uino

For %ev Fr Brian C Brigoli ! my adviser of thisresearch! :ho has patiently guided me to :rite this research properly


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For %ev Fr Avelito John ( Burgos ! :hohas accompanied us! seminarians! listening to our concerns to be able

to come up :ith a good research

For Sir 7e#ron Cartagena ! :ho li?e:ise made alot of suggestions during the proposal of this research in order to ma?e

this a very comprehensive one

For (rs =icenta I "ipardo ! the seminarylibrarian! :ho helped me 6nd the primary boo?s of Blaise Pascal and

(ichel de (ontaigne about diversion

For my household / Sem "ogarta! 2iel Joshua< Sem%omero! Cerilo< and Sem Jaducana! 'an Ian 2i@o

And most importantly to the Almighty

3od ! :ho has given me good health and strength amidst hardshipsin life to be able to persevere in this vocation to the priesthood

+ilson Aringoy ,erusalem

Researc

her

%AB"$ - C .%$.%S


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Chapter & / %he Pro0lem and 1ts Scope- - Introduction

-- + Statement of the Problem

- Signi6cance of the Study

- Scope and "imitation

D- . Theoretical Frame:or?

;

- %esearch (ethodology-+

- D 1rgani#ation of the Study

-+- ; 'e6nition of Terms

-- E %evie: of %elated "iterature

-.

Chapter 2 / "1-$3 + R4S A.D 1.-"5$.C$S+ - (ichel de (ontaigne

+ - - "ife

-;

+ - + *or?s

-E

+ - In uences

+,

+ + Blaise Pascal

+ + - "ife

++


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+ + + *or?s

+

+ + In uences

+

Chapter 6 / Blaise Pascal’s Concepts of Diversion- %easons of 'iversion

- - 'eath

+D

- + *retchedness

+;

- Secret Instincts

+E

- Feeble and (ortal Condition

,

+ The (ind in relation to 'iversion

,

%esults of 'iversion

- Feeble 7appiness-

+ 3reatest (isery

+

5nhappiness

Idle Amusement

Chapter 7 / Michel de Montaigne’s Concepts of

Diversion


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.

- %easons of 'iversion

- - 'eath

- + =ehement 'ispleasure

D

- A "ittle Thing

;

+ The (ind in relation to 'iversion

E


- 2otG3oneGtoGtheG %oot Consolation

E+ 'eception

,

1vercome %evenge

-

Chapter 8 / Comparison of Pascal’s and Montaigne’s

Concept ofDiversion

. - Convergences

. - - *retchedness

. - + Feeble 7appiness

. + 'ivergences. + - Telos of 'iversion


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. + + 'eath

.

. + (ind

Chapter ( / Summary3 Conclusion and

Recommendation- Summary

D

+ Conclusion

.,

%ecommendations

..

B1B"1 9RAP#

8;

C5RR1C5"5M !1%A$

8


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D

(y children! you are

not created to be fat

little duc?s :addling in


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the mud! but you are

created as eaglesdestined to rise above

G (sgr Aloysius

Sch:art#G


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C7APT0% -

%#$ PR B"$M A.D 1%S SC P$

&'&' 1ntroduction

0veryone in life has problems - *e all receive challenges and

lessons to learn + 7o: you cope is the true test of :hat ?ind of person

you are (ost of us! if not all! try to cope :ith a number of challenges

:ith activities that :ould divert our minds from them This is :hat the

t:o philosophers! Blaise Pascal and (ichel de (ontaigne! called a

diversion

1ur e9periences manifest to us that :e resort to diversion right

a:ay :hen :e are confronted :ith disquieting stuf 4 *e have a lot of

choices to ta?e )ust to divert ourselves from this dis&uieting stuH That

means! :e have distinctive approaches :ith regard to diversion *ith

these distinctive approaches! it is for that reason indispensable to

- 0velyn %obert Broo?s! Forget Your Troubles 0velyn %obert Broo?s! +,,E !--

+ Ibid

Ibid

'is&uieting stuH refer to all material things! :ords! and even actions thatcause a feeling of an9iety or uneasiness to an individual


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study the :or?s of Pascal and (ontaigne in order to come up :ith

supplemental information as to :hat diversion really is all about

Postmodern people are perpetually restless< they fre&uently see?

solace in diversion instead of satisfaction in truth . It is an irrefutable

fact that all of us! :hether :e li?e it or not! cannot evade from a

number of dis&uieting stuH in the :orld :e live in That is :hy :e

naturally divert our attention from our recent concerns so as to ma?e

our lives at ease as feasible True enough! :e do not :ant to ma?e our

lives burdensome 2obody :ants pain 1ur body immediately reacts to

:hatever it receives *ith that! our natural impulses cause us to divert

'iversion seems to have been programmed already in us that :e

naturally resort to it even :ithout thin?ing about it

There are several sorts of dis&uieting stuH To name a fe:! :e

have a feeling of re)ection from a community! family! classroom! past

memories! death of loved ones! being heartbro?en! and even :anting

diHerent gadgets that are unaHordable! are some of these sorts that

can really aHect us *ith this! the roots of diversion seem to be the

dis&uieting stuH

. Justin Taylor! KPascal on our Addiction to 'istraction!L TGC | The GospelCoalition Blog, July ;! +,-,! accessed 2ovember +! +,- ! http/MMthegospelcoalition orgMblogsM)ustintaylorM+,-,M,DM,;MpascalGonGourGaddictionGtoGdistractionM


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*ell! :e cannot rebuH the fact that :e really need happiness

Thus! :hatsoever occurs! most of us really hunt for :ays of

overcoming this dis&uieting stuH That is to say! :e resort into

diversion *e conceive of something but do something diHerent in

order to be diverted from our present vie:s and activities

0veryone is prey to distractedness! to seeing solace in activity as an

escape from e9periencing ourselves In fact! this is one of the ma)or

obstacles to a meaningful life D (an does not e9ist merely for his o:n

sa?e 7e lives also for others 7e is destined to live in a community

7ence! this ma9im! Kno man is an islandL! is al:ays reiterated And so!

it is an outGandGout fact that :e can surely face a lot of dis&uieting

stuH even from our peers 7o:ever! as rational beings! :e are given an

intellect to decide :hat to ta?e and do *e are given reason to divert

us from something that ails us This is :hat :e call a diversion 4et!:hat really is diversionN In this study! :e :ill be introduced to the

teachings of Blaise Pascal’s and (ichel de (ontaigne’s concept of

diversion in order for us to become cogni#ant of diversion

Bodhipa?sa! KBlaise Pascal/ All of man’s misfortune comes from one thing!:hich is not ?no:ing ho: to sit &uietly in a room!L Wildwind BuddhistMeditation Blog ! 1ctober +.! +,,;! accessed 2ovember +! +,- !http/MM::: :ildmind orgMblogsM&uoteGofGtheGmonthMblaiseGpascalGsolitude

D Ibid


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The dis&uieting stuH mentioned above :ould someho: ta?e its ground

on e9istentialist’s concept of Angst Angst is a 3erman :ord :hich

means simply an9iety or fear! but in e9istential philosophy it has

ac&uired the more speci6c sense of having an9iety or fear as a result

of the parado9ical implications of human freedom ; 7o:ever it is

conceived! it is treated as a universal condition of human e9istence!

underlying everything about us E >ier?egaard used the term KdreadL to

describe the general apprehension and an9iety in human life -,

According to >ier?egaard! dread is built into us as a means for 3od tocall us to ma?e a commitment of a moral and spiritual :ay of life

despite the void of meaninglessness before us -- The dual problems of

constant choices and the responsibility for those choices can produce

angst in us -+ (artin 7eidegger used the term KangstL as a reference

point for the individual’s confrontation :ith the impossibility of 6nding

meaning in a meaningless universe and of 6nding rational )usti6cation

; Austin Cline! KAngst/ 'read! An9iety! and Anguish!L About !eligion,accessed (arch + ! +,-.!http/MMatheism about comModMe9istentialistthemesMaMangst htm

E Ibid

-, Ibid

-- Ibid

-+ Ibid


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for sub)ective choices about irrational issues - In his :or?! The

Concept of 'read! -; >ier?egaard analy#es the notion in terms of

our freedom and the an9iety of choice - 7e uses the e9ample of a man

:ho :hen standing on the edge of a cliH reali#es that he could hurl

himself over the edge at any moment -. In this :ay! the man

recogni#es his o:n intrinsic freedom and the possibility of deciding his

o:n destiny - "i?e >ier?egaard! Sartre distinguished dread from fear

and related the idea to our intrinsic freedom and the necessity of

choice-D

Sartre uses the term Kbad faithL to e9plain the ight :e ta?ein avoiding this an9iety of our e9istential condition -; In contrast! he

argues for an KauthenticityL :hich does not ee the an9iety but

accepts responsibility for our o:n choices -E For 7eidegger the

recognition of the 6nitude of our e9istence comes through the angst or

- Ibid

- "ew World #n$%$lopedia, accessed (arch + ! +,-.!http/MM::: ne::orldencyclopedia orgMentryM'read

-. Ibid

- Ibid

-D Ibid

-; Ibid

-E Ibid


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an9iety of our KbeingGto:ardGdeath L +, 7ere too angst is associated

:ith freedom +- 7eidegger! li?e >ier?egaard! spea?s of the di##iness of

possibility ++ Authenticity is the acceptance of this angst :hich leads to

the recognition of Ko:n most possibilities!L that is! the possibilities

:hich are open concretely to us + Authenticity is contrasted :ith an

inauthenticity :hich forgets the temporal character of our being and

instead falls into the everydayness of the OtheyO +

The three philosophers! >ier?egaard! Sartre! and 7eidegger! sho:ed

ho: Angst aHects us< that there is Angst as the result of our freedom

and choices According to Sartre :e e9perience bad faith )ust to avoid

the Angst of our e9istential condition 7o:ever! for >ier?egaard :e

e9perience Angst because of our choices and responsibility of those

choices 7eidegger :ould say that by being authentic to ourselves :e

can actually confront this Angst in us

*ith this! the idea of Angst leads us to study Pascal’s and

(ontaigne’s concept of diversion as their :ay of facing this Angst It is!

+, Ibid

+- Ibid

++ Ibid

+ Ibid

+ Ibid


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therefore! indispensable to consider the vie:s of these t:o

philosophers regarding diversion

&'2' Statement of the Pro0lem

The prime problem! :hich is also being emphasi#ed in this

research! is the in&uiry about :hat really is diversion *ell! this is the

thing :e should be ac&uainted :ith in this research

For that reason! this study is an attempt to present diversion in its

entirety and ho: it is considered in the teachings of Blaise Pascal and

(ichel de (ontaigne

Speci6cally! this study aims to ans:er the follo:ing &ueries :hich

serve as momentous guiding principles on this enterprise The &ueries

are/

- *hat is Blaise Pascal’s concept of diversionN+ *hat is (ichel de (ontaigne’s concept of diversionN

*hat are the convergences and divergences of Pascal’s and

(ontaigne’s vie:s on diversionN

&'6' Signi=cance of the Study

This endeavor is a humble contribution of the researcher to all :ho

are trying to 6nd out :hat diversion really is This study is signi6cant

because the t:o philosophers used here have diHerent bac?grounds


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concerning their e9periences in life This is signi6cant not only for a

speci6c individual! but for all of us in this changing :orld of technology

that each of us may become cogni#ant of :hat diversion really is

Thus! this research brings about supplemental information for

academic scholars about diversion in its entirety The researcher

notices various conceptions of diversion :hen especially dis&uieting

stuH come to test us That’s :hy! through this research all of us :ill be

enlightened regarding :hat diversion really is may it be

advantageous or disadvantageous In this study! the researcher :ill

elaborate as much as he can :ith the help of the ample commentaries

regarding diversion as espoused by Blaise Pascal and (ichel de

(ontaigne

&'7' Scope and "imitation

This study is centered on the presentation of Blaise Pascal’s and

(ichel de (ontaigne’s concept of diversion based on their respective

:or?s Conse&uently! this study limits itself e9clusively to these t:o

philosophers’ concept of diversion

This study uses Blaise Pascal’s concept of diversion in his boo?s

&ens'es, and (u)an (appiness 1n the other hand! (ichel de

(ontaigne’s concept of diversion :ill be e9posed through his boo? The

#ssa%s


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E

In order that diversion! as e9posed by Blaise Pascal and (ichel de

(ontaigne! shall be fathomed more deeply! this research uses articles!

)ournals and other analyses of the :or?s of these t:o philosophers in

order to come up :ith a deep grasp of their philosophies

&'8' %heoretical -rame*or)

For the readers’ supplemental data as to the :or?s concerning

diversion! it is indeed indispensable to consider that there are

prominent authors :ho li?e:ise made in&uiries on diversion

1ne is Peter 7igbie =an 2ess! :ho considers Pascal’s diversion by

stating the very e9perience of Pascal It is stated in his boo? that

Pascal perceived his social peers to be consumed :ith a desire for

po:er in their occupations or for diversion in their recreations +. 0ach

pursuit achieves the same end/ QBeing unable to cure death!

:retchedness! and ignorance! men have decided in order to be happy!

not to thin? about such things Q + Certainly divertissement is portrayed

+. Peter 7igbie =an 2ess! *piritualit%, +i ersion, and +e$aden$e- The Conte)porar%&redi$a)ent Albany/ State 5niversity of 2e: 4or? Press! -EE+ ! +;

+ Ibid


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response to the KnullityL and Kemptiness that characteri#es the fallen

human condition as such 0lse:here! Pascal argues that! even :hen

:e do not e9plicitly attend to our e9istential emptiness! :e

nevertheless feel it *e feel the fall! and this feeling of our o:n

fallenness drives us to:ard selfGdeceptive diversions +E Finally! Pascal’s

analysis of boredom e9plicitly describes diversion as a ?ind of selfG

deception The truth about the real meaning of diversion is easily

grasped! and the fact that so fe: grasp it is the sign of the fall , "astly!

he said that :hat troubles Pascal is not that people en)oy divertingactivities! but that they persistently misunderstand their o:n desires -

They do not understand :hy they feel a ceaseless desire for

diversion + Similar to that of the latter! *illiam *ood does not li?e:ise

spea? only of diversion in his boo? That means he )ust mentioned in

his :or? brie y :hat diversion really is in the light of Pascal :ithout

considering its entirety

As to the diversion of (ichel de (ontaigne! Ann 7artle mentioned

ho: (ontaigne dealt :ith his grief due to the death of his friend "a

+E *illiam *ood! Blaise &as$al on +upli$it%, *in, and the Fall- The *e$ret.nstin$t 5nited >ingdom/ 19ford 5niversity Press! +,- !

, Ibid ! DE

- Ibid ! +

+ Ibid


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-+

Boetie (ontaigne resorted to diversion in order to distract himself

from that grief 7artle recounted ho: (ontaigne diverted a prince

from ta?ing a vengeance That in order to lead a prince a:ay from

ta?ing vengeance! (ontaigne did not tell him that he must turn his

chee? to the man :ho has )ust struc? the other one! for charity’s sa?e!

nor did he represent to him the tragic results that poetry attributes to

this passion 7e let the passion alone and applied himself to ma?ing

him relish the beauty of a contrary image/ the honor! favor! and good

:ill he :ould ac&uire by clemency and ?indness (ontaigne! hence!diverted the prince to ambition 7e ac?no:ledges and accepts the

ambition of the prince! and he recogni#es ambition as the passion that

might move and divert him 7e does not appeal to a principle! not even

to the admonition of Christ to turn the other chee? %ather! he appeals

to an image! and he sho:s the prince a possibility that! in his anger!

had not occurred to him Presumably! that possibility is seen in a

particular image of clemency and ?indness To 7artle! one of

(ontaigne’s chief goals is to turn the prince a:ay from vengeance

to:ard mercy and gentleness

Ann 7artle! Mi$hel +e Montaigne- A$$idental &hilosopher 2e: 4or?/Cambridge 5niversity Press! +,, ! -+.

Ibid ! + .


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'avid Ruint mentioned ho: (ontaigne used diversion :here he

e9plores ho: :e can use the po:er of the mind to distract ourselves

from ills :e cannot avoid! and of :hich he :ill give his most

spectacular e9ample in K'e l’e9perience!L :here his mind! in a long

second person address! consoles him for his ?idney stones and the

pain they are in icting upon his body Thus if the t:o ruling parts of

(ontaigne’s being are in accord! they are so by virtue of a :illed and

artful method of reasoning that is again at some remove from the

natural eHortlessness and simplicity he claims for himself.

Anotherthing! Ruint considered that even the liberty and selfGrespect that

(ontaigne claims that he and others can retain in the act of submitting

to po:er may appear to be a diversion! a :ay of cheering himself up in

the face of unpleasant political realities to :hich he sees no remedy!

much as he distracted himself from the pain of his incurable ?idney

stones

Those Four authors mentioned above have contributed to the

interpretation of both philosophers’! (ontaigne and Pascal! vie: on

diversion This study! ho:ever! is diHerent from their studies because

. 'avid Ruint! Montaigne and the /ualit% o0 Mer$%- #thi$al and &oliti$alThe)es in the #ssais 2e: Jersey/ Princeton 5niversity Press! -EE; ! -+

Ibid ! - E


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this puts together and compares (ontaigne’s and Pascal’s vie:s on

diversion in its entirety

&'(' Research MethodologyIn this underta?ing! the research methodology used here includes

the method of research and the use of data its sources! manner of

presenting and procedures in gathering and analy#ing This study employs a &ualitative type of research This! speci6cally!

is a comparative study of the t:o philosophersO concept of diversion

Thus! in its entirety! a descriptiveG&ualitative research method plays a

vital role all throughout the progression of this underta?ing This study uses articles! )ournals from the internet as secondary

sources commenting and e9pounding both philosophers’ vie: on

diversion&';' rgani>ation of the Study

In chapter one :hich comprises The &roble) and its *$ope, the

researcher e9poses the rationale of ho: important it is to study the

topic This chapter tells us about some important details concerning

the topic This chapter includes the statement of the problem! the

signi6cance of studying this topic! the scope and limitation of the

study! the theoretical frame:or?! the research methodology!

organi#ation of the study! de6nition of terms! and revie: of related

literatures *ith this! the chapter one sho:s the foundation for the

ne9t chapters of the study


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-.

In chapter t:o! the life! :or?s! and in uences of both philosophers

:e are using in this underta?ing are e9posed This is to understand the

bac?ground of their life as philosophers :ho are the contributors of the

concept of diversion

In chapter three! the teachings of Blaise Pascal’s concept of

diversion :ill be e9posed and discussed

In chapter four! (ichel de (ontaigne’s concept of diversion is given

attention 7is vie: on diversion is li?e:ise e9posed and discussed

In the 6fth chapter! the researcher intert:ines the t:o perspectives

regarding diversion In this chapter! the convergences and divergences

of Blaise Pascal’s and (ichel de (ontaigne’s vie: on diversion are

presented

"astly! in chapter si9! a Summary! Conclusion and%ecommendation :ill be established The personal critical analysis of

the researcher is li?e:ise presented in this chapter

&'?' De=nition of %erms

For better understanding of this study! some terms are being

de6ned the :ay they are used in this study These contribute deep

clarity to the readers as to their usages here For clari6cation! the

terms operationally used in this study are de6ned as follo:s/


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Diversion is an act or an instance of diverting the mind or

attention from some activity or concern D

+retched means e9tremely unhappy or unfortunate;

Distraction means something that distracts< synonymous :ith

amusement E

!ehement means intensely emotional ,

%elos is a 3ree? term :hich means an ultimate end-

-ee0le and Mortal Condition is a natural misfortune that

a icts us and renders us inconsolable +

D Philip Babctc? 3ove et al ! ed ! Webster1sThird "ew .nternational+i$tionar% 5 S A / 3 C (erriam Company! -E ! +

; Ibid ! + ,

E 0ds (erriamG*ebster! Webster1s "ew #2plorer #n$%$lopedi$ +i$tionar% 5nited States of America/ Federal Street Press! +,, edition ! . ,

, Ibid ! +, D

- Ibid ! -;EE

+ Bodhipa?sa! lo$ $it


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-;

This boo? presents Pascal’s version of the mental conse&uences

of the fall For Pascal! this fall is a fall into deception Thus! :e 6nd it

easy to re)ect 3od and even deceive ourselves! even! because :e are

born into a deceitful :orld This boo? li?e:ise stresses the vie: of the

self The author interpreted Pascal’s diversion to be the result of man’s

misunderstanding of his desires (an continues to divert simply

because he cannot understand his self In the Augustinian custom! this

boo? spea?s of the interest in philosophical and theological accounts of sin and selfGdeception

Ann #artle' Michel de Montaigne: ccidental Philosopher. .e* or):Cam0ridge 5niversity Press3 2 6'

This boo? accounts (ontaigne as an unpremeditated and

accidental philosopher Ann 7artle proHers an account that reveals(ontaigneOs thought to be dialectical because of the transformation of

(ontaigne’s s?eptical doubt into the familiar aspect of life According

to Ann 7artle! (ontaigne invented The #ssa% because his thought

could not be e9pressed in the traditional philosophical forms "i?e:ise!

this boo? mentioned a fe: of diversion :hich (ontaigne has

contributed! although this boo? focuses more on (ontaigne’s being an

accidental philosopher 7ere in this boo?! accidental philosophy as nonG


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+,

C7APT0% +

"ife3 +or)s3 and 1n uences

2'&' Michel de Montaigne

2'&'&' "ife

The early life of (ontaigne before starting his :or?s on various

matters are said to be held in leash by his father (ichel 0y&uem de

(ontaigne! :ho :as born near Bordeau9! France! :as a French

essayist and s?eptical philosopher 7e :as born on February +;!

-. 7e :as the third son! but by the death of his elder brothers he

Paul 0d:ards! ed ! The #n$%$lopedia o0 &hilosoph% 3 "ondon/ Collier(acmillan Publishers! -E D !


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++

-.E+! as?ed his :ife! in :riting! to call together some of his neighbors

so he might bid them fare:ell 7e re&uested mass to be said in his

room! and died :hile it :as being celebrated

2'&'2' +or)s

These are the :or?s of (ontaigne after choosing to live a tolerable life

7e had translated the Theologia "aturalis of %aymund of Sabunde! a

Spanish schoolman! at the re&uest of his father 7e prepared for

publication the :or?s of 0tienne de la Boetie! a friend of his youth!:hose death! in -. ! he felt as a great loss 7e :rote the 6rst t:o

volumes of The 0ssays! :hich :ere published in -.;, in Bordeau9 D In

the year follo:ing the publication of the #ssa%s, he left his estate for

e9tensive travel to obtain relief from internal disorders that had been

troubling him 7e )ourneyed through "orraine! S:it#erland! Bavaria!

and Italy 7e traveled to %ome! :here he had an audience :ith the

Pope and :as made a %oman citi#en ; 7e had begun to revise his

0ssays almost immediately after their publication in -.;, In -.;;! he

Ibid

D Ibid

; Ibid


33/78

+

completed the :or? and reGissued a revised version of the 6rst t:o

boo?s together :ith a 6nal volume of the essays :ritten since -.;, E

In his #ssa%s ! (ichel de (ontaigne e9pressed a captivating version of

classical s?epticism ., *ithin the ancient :ritings of the s?eptics!

(ontaigne discovered a ne: :ay of vie:ing daily life .- (ontaigne sa:

himself as Kan unpremeditated philosopherL one :ho :as not

con6ned intellectually to some rigid set of ideas :ithin :hich his

thought and life must be e9pressed .+

2'&'6' 1n uences

(ontaigne has been a very in uential 6gure of his time 7is in uence

has been diverse and :idespread

In the seventeenth century! it :as his s?epticism that proved

most in uential among philosophers and theologians After his death!

his friend Pierre Charron himself! a prominent Catholic theologian!

produced t:o :or?s! es Trois 5'rite6 -.E and a *agesse - ,- !

E Ibid

., Samuel 0noch Stumpf! *o$rates to *artre and Be%ond, Seventh 0dition2e: 4or?/ (c3ra:G7ill Companies! Inc ! +,, ! +,,

.- Ibid ! +,,

.+ Ibid ! +,-


34/78


35/78

+.

In the t:entieth century (ontaigne :as identi6ed as a

forerunner of various contemporary movements! such as

postmodernism and pragmatism Judith Sh?lar! in her boo? 7rdinar%

5i$es ! identi6ed (ontaigne as the 6rst modern liberal! by :hich she

meant that (ontaigne :as the 6rst to argue that cruelty is the :orst

thing that :e do In Contingen$%, .ron%, and *olidarit% ! %ichard

%orty borro:ed Sh?lar’s de6nition of a liberal to introduce the 6gure of

the liberal ironist %orty’s description of the liberal ironist as someone

:ho is both a radical s?eptic and a liberal in Sh?lar’s sense has ledsome to interpret (ontaigne as having been a liberal ironist himself .

As many scholars have noted! the style of the #ssa%s ma?es them

amenable to a :ide range of interpretations! :hich e9plains the fact

that many thin?ers :ith diverse :orldvie:s have found the #ssa%s to

be a mirror in :hich they see their o:n re ection! albeit perhaps

clari6ed to some degree by (ontaigne’s penetrating insights into

human nature .D

2'2' Blaise Pascal

. Ibid

.D Christopher 0delman! ed ! .nternet #n$%$lopedia o0 &hilosoph% ! accessedAugust -! +,- ! http/MM::: iep utm eduMmontaignMV7

http://www.iep.utm.edu/rorty/http://www.iep.utm.edu/rorty/http://www.iep.utm.edu/rorty/http://www.iep.utm.edu/rorty/


36/78

+

2'2'&' "ife

Pascal :as born at Clermont Ferrand in Auvergne on June -E!

- + 7is father! 0tienne Pascal! :as once a la:yer in Paris and heldthe post of President of the Court of Aids at Clermont 7is mother! the

pious Antoinette Begon! died in - + ! leaving her husband to care for

3ilberte! Blaise! and the baby! Jac&ueline .; In - -! 0tienne Pascal

sold his post and moved to Paris for the education of his son Pascal

mastered 3ree? and "atin At the age of t:elve! he began geometry by

himself 7ere:ith! his father noticed his intelligence on this matter .E A

fe: years later! he still achieved greater reputation by his invention of

the 6rst calculating machine! though his health :as aHected by his

intellectual :or? , Although the Pascal family had been regular and

respectful in their religious practice! religion :as not especially

important in their lives until - :hen they became ac&uainted :ith

Jansenism Pascal! then only t:entyGthree! had his attention directed to

religious and theological &uestions! and he seemed to have been

in uential in converting his :hole family to the Jansenist version of

.; Blaise Pascal! The &ro in$ial etters &ensees *$ienti8$ Treatises, ed%obert (aynard 7utchins "ondon and 2e: 4or?/ *illiam Benton0ncyclopaedia Britannica! Inc ! -E.+! -E;E ! =

.E Ibid

, Ibid


37/78

+D

Catholicism 7is sister! Jac&ueline! decided to renounce the :orld! and

on the death of her father in - .-! she entered the Jansenist convent

of Port %oyal - In - . ! Pascal left an e9treme disli?e for the attraction

of the :orld The contrast bet:een his life and that of Jac&ueline!

:hom he visited the same year at Port %oyal! intensi6ed his

dissatisfaction 7is gro:ing decision to retire from the :orld :as

con6rmed on 2ovember + ! - . ! :hen he e9perienced :hat is ?no:n

as his second conversion The :ritten memorial of that e9perience!

:hich he :ore thereafter as a ?ind of amulet! records that from tenGthirty until t:elveGthirty that night he ?ne: Kthe 3od of Abraham! the

3od of Isaac! 3od of Jacob! not of philosophers and scientists and that

he resolved total submission to Jesus Christ The follo:ing January he

:ent on retreat at Port %oyal! and! although he did not actually become

one of its famous solitaries! he :as henceforth identi6ed :ith its

interests + As death approached! Pascal’s life became more austere

7e gave his possessions to the poor and continually strove for

complete detachment from those he loved In June - +! he gave

shelter to a poor family :hich developed smallpo9 %ather than

disposses them! he moved to the house of 3ilberte! :here he :as

- Ibid

+ Ibid


38/78

+;

sei#ed :ith a violent illness :hich lingered for t:o months 7e died

August -E! at the age of thirtyGnine

2'2'2' +or)s

Pascal himself continued his scienti6c and mathematical

researches In - D! he performed his variations on Torricelli’s

e9periment! :hich resulted in his "ew #2peri)ents $on$erning the

5a$uu) - D By - .-! he had apparently completed most of the

:or? for his Great #2peri)ent $on$erning the #quilibriu) o0 Fluids !although it :as not published until - 5pon the death of his father!

he laid aside his researches! fre&uented polite society :ith his friends!

the young 'uc de %oanne# and the Chevalier de (ere! shared their

interests! and read 0pictetus and (ontaigne 7e began to investigate

the theory of probability in order to solve a problem posed by 'e (ere

concerning the division of sta?es in a game of chance 7is results

appeared in - . in the correspondence :ith Fermat and in the

Treatise on the Arith)eti$al Triangle 94 Pascal’s talents :ere soon

employed by the Jansenists In - .. Antoine Arnauld! the oUcial

theologian of Port %oyal! :as condemned by the Sorbonne! and it :as

considered e9pedient to enlist public opinion for the Jansenists against

Ibid ! =G=I

Ibid


39/78

+E

their Jesuit adversaries Perhaps at the suggestion of Arnauld himself!

Pascal began his &ro in$ial etters ! :hich! from January! - . to April

- .D! captivated Paris by their style as :ell as their polemic 7e :as

also as?ed to :or? upon a manual of geometry for use in the Port %oyal

schools! and it is probably in connection :ith this that he :rote his

essay 7n Geo)etri$al +e)onstration 9: A icted :ith illGhealth from

infancy! Pascal’s suHering had become so acute in - .; that any

sustained eHort became increasingly diUcult In one attempt to

distract his mind from a persistent toothache! he turned to the problemof the cycloid! :hich he had occupied his friend! %oberval! as :ell as

many other mathematicians of the time Before publishing his results!

he proposed his theorems for public competition *allis and "alouere

among others accepted the challenge! but only Pascal :as able to

provide the complete solution Although he considered geometry the

Khighest e9ercise of the mind!L as he :rote Fermat! Kit is only a trade

W and I am steeped in studies so far from that mentality! that scarcely

do I remember that there is any such L After the cure his niece at Port

%oyal in - . ! :hich :as ?no:n as the (iracle of the 7oly Thorn!

Pascal began reading and collecting material for :hat he planned to be

an Apolog% 0or the Christian !eligion 7e put do:n his thoughts Kupon

. Ibid

Ibid


40/78

,

the 6rst scrap of paper that came to hand W a fe: :ords and very

often parts of :ords only L These fragments! found after his death!

compose :hat has come to be ?no:n as his &ens'es ! :hich :ere 6rst

edited by the Jansenists in - D, and constantly reGedited thereafter D

2'2'6' 1n uences

Blaise Pascal :as an in uential mathematical :riter! a master of the

French language! and a great religious philosopher a person :ho

see?s :isdom;

7e began ma?ing contributions to mathematics at avery young age E The computer programming language KPascalL is

named after him D, 7is religious :or?s! Q"ettres provinciales and the

PensXes Q had a religious in uence all over France and created a ne:

level of style in French prose D-

D Ibid

; KBlaise Pascal’s Biography!L #n$%$lopedia o0 World Biograph% ! accessedAugust ! +,- ! http/MM::: notablebiographies comM2iGPeMPascalGBlaise html

E Ibid

D, Ibid

D- KBlaise Pascal’s Biography!L The Fa)ous &eople ! accessed August ! +,- !http/MM::: thefamouspeople comMpro6lesMblaiseGpascalG- - php

http://www.notablebiographies.com/knowledge/Mathematics.htmlhttp://www.notablebiographies.com/knowledge/Philosophy_of_religion.htmlhttp://www.notablebiographies.com/knowledge/Mathematics.htmlhttp://www.notablebiographies.com/knowledge/Philosophy_of_religion.html


41/78

-

C7APT0% Blaise Pascal’s Concept of Diversion

Pascal started his discussion on diversion by considering the

distractions of men as diversions

- %easons of diversion

- - 'eath

Pascal reali#ed that death can be borne easily :hen :e do not

thin? of it That’s :hy! in order not to thin? of it! :e need a diversion

Thin?ing of death ma?es us miserable And so Pascal said/

The miseries of human life have established all this/as men have seen this! they have ta?en updiversion D+

It is through diversion that :e overcome the reality of death The fact

here is that :e are not able to 6ght against death! misery! ignorance

And so in order for us to be happy! :e :ill not thin? of them at all It is

in this :ay that diversion ta?es place Furthermore! Pascal said/

'espite these miseries! man :ishes to be happyand only :ishes to be happy! and cannot :ish notto be so But ho: :ill he set about itN To be happy

D+ Pascal! op $it , +,


42/78

+

he :ould have to ma?e himself immortal< but! notbeing able to do so! it has occurred to him toprevent himself from thin?ing of death D

As follo:s! death becomes the reason of diversion 7o:ever! Pascal

li?e:ise considered that diversion :ould lead us unconsciously to

death! :hen he said/

But diversion amuses us! and leads us unconsciously to death D

- + *retchedness

Pascal deliberated man as so :retched that he :ould :eary even

:ithout any cause for :eariness and man is li?e:ise so frivolous thateven playing billiards or hitting a ball is suUcient to amuse him Thus!

for Pascal! even if :e see ourselves happy! :eariness :ould still not

fail to arise from the depths of the heart In an instance! Pascal cited a

man :ho simply receives each morning the money even :ithout

playing That man remains miserable because he still see?s the

amusement of play and not the :innings To this! Pascal said/

7o:ever full of sadness a man may be! he is happyfor the time! if you can prevail upon him to enterinto some amusement< and ho:ever happy a manmay be! he :ill soon be disconnected and:retched! if he be not diverted and occupied bysome passion or pursuit :hich prevents :earinessfrom overcoming him D.

D Ibid

D Pascal! lo$ $it

D. Ibid ! -E;G-EE


43/78

7ence! because of our :retchedness! :e resort to diversion to free us

from being :retched that :eariness may not hold us in leash Justin

Taylor :ould e9plain this :retchedness saying that the compulsive

search for diversion is often an attempt to escape the :retchedness of

life D In addition to this! Pascal said/

(an 6nds nothing so intolerable as to be in a stateof complete rest! :ithout passions! :ithoutoccupation! :ithout diversion! :ithout eHort Thenhe faces his nullity! loneliness! inade&uacy!

dependence! helplessness! emptiness And at oncethere :ells up from the depths of his soul boredom!gloom! depression! chagrin! resentment! despair DD

Stephen James Carter e9plained the above vie:s of Pascal as

something to be predicated upon the notion of rest leading inevitably

to:ard contemplation of the self! :hich leads directly to meditating on

Kthe natural poverty of our feeble and mortal condition of man so

miserable that nothing can comfort us :hen :e thin? of it closely In

short! :e are scre:ed D;

- Secret InstinctsD Taylor! lo$ $it

DD Blaise Pascal! (u)an (appiness ! trans ! A J >railsheimer 0ngland/ PeguinBoo?s! +,,; ! E-

D; Stephen James Carter! K'istractions and 'iversions/ (as?ing 1ur Feeble and(ortalCondition in Pascal’s Pensees!L The Great Con ersation ! January +D! +,-+!accessed 2ovember +!+,- ! http/MMreadingthegreat comMdistractionsGandGdiversionsGmas?ingGourGfeebleGandGmortalGconditionGinGpascalsGpenseesM


44/78

According to Pascal! men have secret instincts The 6rst is the

instinct that impels men to see? amusement and occupation This sort

arises from the sense of men’s constant unhappiness The second

instinct is a remnant of the greatness of our original nature :hich

teaches men that happiness in reality consists only in rest and not in

stir These t:o instincts are contrary to each other That’s :hy! for

Pascal! a confused idea is formed :ithin them For this reason! man

either resorts to diversion or not *hen he resorts to diversion! it is

because of this 6rst instinct to see? amusement due to unhappiness2ormally! man see?s diversion because of his 6rst instinct

- Feeble and (ortal Condition

Pascal has apprehended that man is unhappy or man cannot

really stay &uietly in his o:n chamber because of the natural poverty

of his feeble and mortal condition This feeble and mortal condition! to

him! is so miserable that nothing can comfort us :hen :e thin? of it

closely Besides! Pascal said/

If our condition :ere truly happy! :e :ould notneed diversion from thin?ing of it in order to ma?eourselves happy DE

Pascal :ould li?e to say that :e need diversion because of the

very fact of our condition that is feeble and mortal Being feeble and

mortal is in the 6rst place so unhappy That’s :hy to be able to ma?e

DE Pascal! loc cit


45/78

.

ourselves happy! one thing is indispensable and that is :hat Pascal

called a diversion

+ The mind in relation to diversion

Pascal has made a comparison as to man’s use of his intellect before

and no: To him! both times are diHerent as to the use of the

intellect To this! Pascal e9plained/

(an is obviously made for thin?ing Therein lies allhis dignity and his merit< and his :hole duty is to

thin? as he ought 2o: the order of thought is tobegin :ith ourselves! and :ith our author and ourend 2o: :hat does the :orld thin? aboutN 2everabout that! but about dancing! playing the lute!singing! :riting verse! tilting at the ring! etc ! and6ghting! becoming ?ing! :ithout thin?ing :hat itmeans to be a ?ing or to be a man ;,

1bviously! :hat Pascal referred to upon saying that :hat the :orld

thin?s no: is about dancing! playing! singing! etc ! is primarily all

about diversion In other :ords! diversion is :hat is given importance

in the :orld no:


- Feeble 7appiness

Pascal deliberated diversion to be the source of happiness 4et!

this sort of happiness is so feeble to the e9tent that it cannot sustain

man forever and so naturally! man becomes sad This happiness is

;, Ibid


46/78

called as feeble happiness Pascal e9pounded this clearly :hen he

said/

4et! :hen :e imagine a ?ing attended :ith every

pleasure he can feel! if he be :ithout diversion andbe left to consider and re ect on :hat he is! thisfeeble happiness :ill not sustain him< he :illnecessarily fall into forebodings of dangers! of revolutions :hich may happen! and 6nally! of deathand inevitable disease< so that! if he be :ithout:hat is called diversion! he is unhappy and moreunhappy than the least of his sub)ects :ho playsand diverts himself ;-

Because of this! Pascal concluded that play and the society of :omen!

:ar and high posts! are so sought after To him! these are sought not

that there are! in fact! any happiness in them! or that men imagine

true bliss to consist in money :on at play! or in the hare :hich they

hunt! but because of the bustle :hich averts our thoughts and amuses

us Pascal! li?e:ise! concluded that because of this! men so much love

noise and stir! prison is so horrible a punishment! the pleasure of solitude is a thing incomprehensible That’s :hy! for Pascal! it is the

greatest source of happiness the condition of ?ings that men try

incessantly to divert them and to procure for them all ?inds of

pleasures For Pascal! this is true about a ?ing/

The ?ing is surrounded by persons :hose onlythought is to divert the ?ing and to prevent histhin?ing of self For! he is unhappy! ?ing though hebe! if he thin?s of himself ;+

;- Pascal! &ro in$ial etters &ensees *$ienti8$ Treatises, -E G-ED


47/78

D

Another supplemental vie: as to :hy diversion elicits feeble

happiness is the fact that diversion simply comes from else:here and

from :ithout This is e9plicitly e9plained by (ontaigne :hen he said/

If man :ere happy! he :ould be the more so! theless he :as diverted! li?e the Saints and 3od 4es<but it is not to be happy to have a faculty of beingamused by diversionN 2o< for that comes fromelse:here and from :ithout! and thus isdependent! and therefore sub)ect to be disturbedby a thousand accidents! :hich bring inevitablegriefs ;

+ 3reatest (isery

(an’s only :ish! for Pascal! is to be happy despite his miseries

In order to do this! he :ould ma?e himself immortal To this Pascal

e9plicated/

'espite these miseries! man :ishes to be happyand only :ishes to be happy! and cannot :ish notto be so But ho: :ill he set about itN To be happyhe :ould have to ma?e himself immortal< but! notbeing able to do so! it has occurred to him toprevent himself from thin?ing of death ;

7o:ever! despite all our miseries! the only thing that :ould

console us from them is diversion 4et! diversion is accordingly our

greatest misery li?e:ise because it hinders us of thin?ing :ho :e are

and for that reason ruins us in the end and eventually leads us to

;+ Pascal! op $it ! -ED

; Ibid ! -E G-ED

; Ibid ! +,


48/78

;

death :ithout ?no:ing about it Pascal thoroughly e9pounded this

:hen he said/

The only thing :hich consoles us for our miseries is

diversion! and yet this is the greatest of ourmiseries For it is this :hich principally hinders usfrom re ecting upon ourselves and :hich ma?es usinsensibly ruin ourselves *ithout this :e should bein a state of :eariness! and this :eariness :ouldspur us to see? a more solid means of escapingfrom it But diversion amuses us! and leads usunconsciously to death ;.

5nhappiness

Pascal has discovered that :hen he set to thin?ing about the

various activities of men! the distractions! all the unhappiness of men

arises from one single fact that they cannot stay &uietly in their o:n

chamber Because of diversion! one can hardly stay &uietly in his room

In other :ords! Pascal considered diversion to be the cause of sadness!

because! to him! solitude is the source of happiness This is :hat he

meant by staying &uietly in one’s room This is given an e9ample by

Pascal :hen he said/

A man :ealthy enough for life’s needs :ould neverleave home to go to sea or besiege some fortress if he ?ne: ho: to stay at home and en)oy it (en:ould never spend so much on a commission in thearmy if they could bear living in to:n all their livesand they only see? after the company anddiversion of gambling because they do not en)oystaying at home ;

;. Pascal op $it , +,

; Pascal! (u)an (appiness ! +


49/78


50/78

,

?no:ing :ell that he :ill be miserable! ?ing he is! if he meditates on

self

C7APT0%


51/78

-

Michel de Montaigne’s Concept of Diversion

(ontaigne started his essay on diversion by citing his

e9perience! having employed to console a lady truly a icted

- %easons of diversion

- - 'eath

(ontaigne cited occurrences about ho: men diverted their

thoughts from the consideration of death They even have fainted uponcasting their eyes upon the dreadful instruments of death 09plicitly!

they overcome the fear of death through diversion This is one of the

occurrences cited by (ontaigne

The poor :retches :hom :e see brought up on thescaHold! full of ardent devotion W employing alltheir senses! their ears in hearing the instructionsgiven them! their eyes and hands lifted up to:ardsheaven W they shun the encounter! they diverttheir thoughts from the consideration of death aschildren are amused :ith some toy or other Ihave seen some! :ho! casting their eyes upon thedreadful instruments of death run about! havefainted! and furiously turned their thoughts another:ay< such as are to pass a formidable precipice! areadvised either to shut or to avert their eyes ;;

Another occurrence similarly cited by (ontaigne :as about a soldier

:hose thought :as diverted by his 6ght That is to say! that man :asable to overcome still the fear of death through this sort of diversion

The occurrence is this/

;; 'e (ontaigne! op $it ! ,+


52/78

+

7e! :ho dies in a battle! :ith a s:ord in his hand!does not then thin? of death! he feels or considersit not< the ardor of the 6ght diverts his thoughtanother :ay ;E

There are a lot more occurrences related to both mentioned 4et! of all

these occurrences! (ontaigne :ould say that li?e circumstances

amuse! divert! and turn our thoughts from the consideration of the

thing in itself "i?e so! diverting our thoughts yields to not thin?ing of

death at all For that reason! (ontaigne claims that death leads us

naturally to diversion

- + =ehement 'ispleasure

(ontaigne himself has lived through an intense discontentment

or unhappiness :hich is called as vehement displeasure This

vehement displeasure aHected him to the e9tent of losing himself into

it all throughout by the time he :ould rely solely on his strength To

this (ontaigne said/I :as once :ounded :ith a vehement displeasure!and :ithal! more )ust than vehement< I mightperadventure have lost myself in it! if I had merelytrusted to my o:n strength E,

For that reason! (ontaigne reali#ed that he needs diversion to

disengage himself from his feeling :hen he said/

7aving need of a po:erful diversion to disengageme! by art and study! I became amorous! :herein I:as assisted by my youth/ love relieved and

;E 'e (ontaigne! op $it ! ,

E, Ibid ! ,


53/78

rescued me from evil :herein friendship hadengaged me E-

- A little thing

(ontaigne discovered the inevitable relationship of every little thing to

us To him! every little thing :ill turn and divert us The reason :hy a

little thing stimulates diversion is that this little thing holds us

Accordingly! (ontaigne :ould simply li?e to e9hort us that all things

around us bring about an impact to the e9tent of diverting us In

conse&uence! a thing around us is so po:erful that allo:s our attention

to be diverted to other concerns About this! (ontaigne said/

A little thing :ill turn and divert us! because a littlething holds us E+

There are occurrences given by (ontaigne as to this vie: li?e Plutarch

himself! :ho laments his daughter for the little apish tric?s of her

infancy! the sight of Caesar’s robe troubled all %ome! :hich :as more

than his death had done! the sound of names ringing in our ears as my

poor master! my faithful friend! alas! my dear father! or! my s:eet

daughter! a ict us! and lastly the remembrance of a fare:ell! of the

particular grace of an action! of a last recommendation! a icts us E

E- Ibid

E+ Ibid

E Ibid


54/78

All these! for (ontaigne! are the foundations of our mourning

+ The mind in relation to diversion

(ontaigne tells us that :hen physicians cannot stop a catarrh!

they divert and turn it into some other less dangerous part *ith this!

he found out that this is also the most ordinary practice for the

diseases of the mind/ The mind is sometimes to be diverted to other

studies! thoughts! cares! and businessE

Furthermore! for (ontaigne!to )ostle man’s in6rmities! :e neither ma?e him sustain nor repel the

attac?! :e only ma?e him decline and evade it This is the reality of our

mind/

*e al:ays thin? of something else< either the hopeof a better life comforts and supports us! or thehope of our children’s :orth! or the future glory of our name! or the vengeance that threatens those:ho are the causes of our death! administersconsolation to us E.

According to 'avid Ruint! (ontaigne e9plores ho: :e can use the

po:ers of the mind to distract ourselves from ills :e cannot avoid! and

:hich he himself uses his mind to console himself for his ?idney stones

and the pain that in icts upon his body E

E Ibid ! ,+

E. Ibid ! ,

E Ruint! op $it ! -+


55/78

.

%esults of diversion

- 2otG3oneGtoGtheG%oot Consolation

In the 6rst part of (ontaigne’s essay on diversion! he introduced

his e9perience being employed to console a lady truly a icted 7e

mentioned that although he :as able to console her through diversion!

yet he li?e:ise accepted that! that a icted lady only received a

transient relief due to the fact that diversion! :hich he used to comfort

her! does not totally heals the root of the a iction and so those :ho

succeeded him did not 6nd any amendment in her (ontaigne!

concerning this! said/

W I imperceptibly led her from that sorro:fulthought! and ?ept her calm and in good humor:hilst I continued there I herein made use of diversion They! :ho succeeded me in the sameservice! did not for all that 6nd any amendment inher for I had not gone to the root ED

As stated by 'orothea 7eitsch! (ontaigne consoles a lady by diverting

her attention a:ay from her grief and the consolation he gives to the

lady becomes a diversion E;

+ 'eception

ED 'e (ontaigne! op $it ! ,-

E; 'orothea B 7eitsch! &ra$tising !e0or) in Montaigne1s #ssais 2etherlands/ Brill Academic Publication! +,,, ! .


56/78

(ontaigne mentioned about a story of the life of Atlanta! a virgin of

e9celling beauty and :onderful disposition of the body! to disengage

herself from the cro:d of a thousand suitors :ho sought her in

marriage! made this proposition! that she :ould accept him for her

husband :ho should e&ual her in running! upon condition that they

:ho failed should lose their lives To (ontaigne! there :ere enough

:ho thought the pri#e very :ell :orth the ha#ard! and :ho suHered

the cruel penalty of the contract Among the suitors as accounted by

(ontaigne! it :as 7ipomenes :ho did the challenge As he :as aboutto ma?e the trial after the rest! he made his address to the goddess of

love! imploring her assistance< and she! granting his re&uest! gave him

three golden apples! and instructed him ho: to use them To continue

the story! the race began! as 7ipomenes perceived his mistress to

press hard up to him! he! as it :ere by chance! let fall one of these

apples< the maid! ta?en :ith the beauty of it! failed not to step out of

her :ay to pic? it up 2o: (ontaigne described the virgin’s reaction by

saying/

1bstupuit virgo! nitidi&ue cupidine pomi! declinatcursus!aurum&ue volubile tollit EE

EE 'e (ontaigne! op $it ! ,+ This &uotation ta?en by (ontaigne from 1vidmeans/ The virgin! da##led at beholding the glittering apple! and eager topossess it stopped her career! and sei#ed the rolling gold


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D

To (ontaigne! 7ipomenes did the same! by the second and the third!

till by so diverting her! and ma?ing her lose so much ground! he :on

the race

*e see in the story cited by (ontaigne! that Atlanta 6nally gave

herself to 7ipomenes not because of her love! but because she :as

diverted by the glittering apple used by 7ipomenes to divert her In

this sense! Atlanta :as deceived by that glittering apple to :hich she

:as so diverted 7ence! diversion as it :as sho:n in the story could

li?e:ise be the source of deception

1vercome %evenge

(ontaigne de6ned revenge as a s:eet passion of great and

natural impression And so! :hen one is oHended! it is one’s natural

impression to ta?e revenge 7o:ever! (ontaigne sho:ed us based on

his e9perience that revenge can actually be overcome 7e cited an

instance about a prince :ho :anted to revenge! yet that prince’s

attention :as successfully diverted by him so that revenge :ould not

be feasible Concerning this! (ontaigne said/

From this not long ago to divert a young prince! Idid not tell him that he must! to him :ho hadstruc? him upon the one chee?! turn the other!upon account of charity< nor go about to represent

to him the tragical events that poetry attributes tothis passion< I did not touch upon that string< but Ibusied myself to ma?e him relish the beauty of acontrary image/ and! by representing to him :hathonour! esteem! and good :ill he :ould ac&uire by


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;

clemency and good nature! diverted him toambition -,,

Through diversion! a young prince :as not being able to revenge

'avid Ruint presumed that the young prince! having s:ayed by(ontaigne from revenge to clemency by appealing to the prince’s

ambition and pointing out to him the honor and favor! :as no other

than 7enri himself -,-

C7APT0% .

Comparison of Pascal’s and Montaigne’s Concept of

Diversion

-,, Ibid ! ,

-,- Cf Ruint! op $it ! - 1n page -.,! 'avid Ruint cited the bac?ground of 7enri 7e said that >ing 7enri I= in a letter of -.E,! :as presumably thesame young prince :hom (ontaigne diverts from revenge in K'e ladiversion L 7enri :as assassinated in - -,


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E

The essential of analy#ing a concept :ritten by t:o authors is to

pinpoint the authors’ convergences and divergences of the topic As to

this research! Pascal and (ontaigne have similar concepts of

:retchedness and feeble happiness "i?e:ise! as to the divergences!

Pascal and (ontaigne have distinctive vie:s on the Telos of diversion!

on death! and on the mind

. - Convergences

. - - *retchedness

Pascal and (ontaigne! li?e:ise! have similarly vie:ed

:retchedness to be one of the reasons :hy diversion is being

considered by us Pascal has deliberated man to be :retched already

in the 6rst place That’s :hy man :earies even if there are no reasons

of his :eariness And although man is happy no:! this happiness is )ust

transient by the fact that :retchedness :ould really 6nd :ays to arise

from time to time Accordingly! man diverts himself to free him of his

:retchedness

(ontaigne e&ually considered :retchedness as ine9orable 7e

himself has e9perienced the :retchedness :hich he called as

vehement displeasure To him! relying solely on his strength is

insuUcient to comfort him For that reason! (ontaigne resorted to

diversion It is through diversion that he :as able to overcome

:retchedness


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.,

Both Pascal and (ontaigne considered diversion to be an

indispensable and direct means of overcoming our :retchedness

. - + Feeble 7appiness

Pascal and (ontaigne related diversion to happiness 4et this

happiness from diversion is so feeble that it cannot sustain man

forever Pascal cited an instance about a ?ing :hose happiness is )ust

dependent on his sub)ects :ho :ould divert him 4et! the happiness

that a ?ing felt is so feeble that :hen his sub)ects responsible for his

diversion :ould not be around! he :ill eventually be the saddestamong the least of his sub)ects

(ontaigne! li?e:ise! sho:ed ho: happiness from diversion is

feeble by citing an e9ample from his e9perience himself being

employed to console a lady that :ith his observation! those :ho

succeeded him to console that a icted lady did not 6nd any

amendment in her situation due to the fact that the happiness the lady

felt is simply transient Although the term used by (ontaigne is KnotG

goneGtoGtheGrootL 4et this is clear that this term refers to happiness

that is feeble or transient

. + 'ivergences

. + - Telos of 'iversion

Both Pascal and (ontaigne mentioned happiness as the telos of

diversion! although they considered it as feeble in the sense that for


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.-

(ontaigne diversion does not really go to the root of the a iction and

li?e:ise for Pascal diversion does not sustain the happiness of man

forever 4et only Pascal :ent further as to the misery is concerned For

Pascal! the only thing :hich consoles us for our miseries is diversion!

and yet this is the greatest of our miseries

Pascal deliberated diversion to also be the greatest of our

miseries since it is this :hich principally hinders us from re ecting

upon ourselves and :hich ma?es us insensibly ruined To him! :ithout

diversion :e should be in a state of :eariness! and this :eariness:ould spur us to see? a more solid means of escaping from it

. + + 'eath

Pascal :ould emphasi#e that :hen :e thin? of death! :e become

so miserable 'eath! as :e all ?no:! is an inevitable circumstance in

our life And so! to be able to shun us from thin?ing about it! Pascal

:ould say that :e naturally ta?e diversion 7o:ever! for Pascal!

although :e need diversion in order not to thin? about death! diversion

slo:ly leads us unconsciously to death This ma?es Pascals’ notion of

death a bit diHerent from that of (ontaigne

1n the other hand! (ontaigne simply considered diversion as a

means of not thin?ing of death 7e has demonstrated his vie: on

death through e9amples to sho: the relevance of diversion to death

1ne of the instances cited by (ontaigne :as about poor :retches :ho

diverted their attention by thin?ing of something to be able not to ta?e


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.+

notice of the sharp lance that :ould be used to ta?e a:ay their lives

The diversion of the poor :retches’ thoughts enabled them to forget

death because they :ere so amused :ith another thing li?e a child

:ho amuses himself by playing diHerent things

. + (ind

Both Pascal and (ontaigne hold that the mind no: is directed

to:ards consolations or something that amuses us *ith this! Pascal

:ould say that the mind no longer considers ho: it is to be a man and

for (ontaigne! this is the diseases of the mind being sometimesdiverted to other studies! thoughts! cares! and business That’s :hy for

(ontaigne! the mind does other concerns in order to decline and evade

something that is against it Although both Pascal and (ontaigne

similarly ade&uated the above mentioned! only Pascal :ent further

that man is actually made to thin? to thin? not al:ays of

amusements! but to thin? 6rst about him! 3od! and lastly his end


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.

C7APT0%

Summary3 Conclusion and Recommendation

('&' Summary*hat really is diversionN *hat is in diversionN These &uestions

are the reasons :hy this research is made feasible By reading the

:ritings of Pascal and (ontaigne about diversion! then surely these

t:o &uestions can be clari6ed

Both Pascal and (ontaigne presented their contention of

diversion in a manner that allo:s the reader to spot the reasons and

results of diversion Pascal considered the four reasons of diversion

They are the death! :retchedness! secret instincts! and feeble and

mortal condition For Pascal! man ta?es diversion because of these

four Furthermore! Pascal li?e:ise mentioned in his :ritings the four

results of diversion Principally! they are the feeble happiness! greatest

misery! unhappiness! and idle amusement These four results can

really be e9perienced by man after ta?ing diversion


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.

Also! (ontaigne mentioned the reasons of diversion :hich are

only three They are the death! vehement displeasure! and a little

thing For him! these three comprise the reasons :hy man ta?es

diversion In addition! (ontaigne mentioned three results of diversion

in his :ritings They are the notGgoneGtoGtheGroot consolation!

deception! and overcome revenge

The t:o philosophers! Pascal and (ontaigne! contributed to the

deep understanding of diversion Both have slight divergent vie:s on

the Telos of diversion! on death! and on the mind The rest of theirvie:s complemented to the comprehension of diversion similarly


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..

Schematic Diagram of the study:

Diversio

Blaise Michel de

ResultsofMin

Reasonsof

Resultsof

Reasonsof

Min

- Feeble7appiness

+ 3reatest(isery

5nhappiness

Idle

- 'eath

+ =ehement'ispleasure

A "ittle Thing

- 2otG3oneGtoGtheG%ootConsolation

+'eception

- 'eath

+*retchedness

SecretInstincts

Feeble and(ortal

Conclusion

Divergen

- Telos of 'iversion

+ 'eath

(ind

Convergen

- *retchedness

+ Feeble


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.

('2' Conclusion

The concepts of diversion of Blaise Pascal and (ichel de

(ontaigne to a degree are distinct only in a manner of presentation

because (ontaigne’s presentation of his concept of diversion

comprises a lot of e9amples to the e9tent of citing even his o:n

e9periences! :hereas! that of Pascal is of minimal e9amples 4et! both

agree on some points and not in another

After ta?ing into consideration the concepts of diversion of Pascal

and (ontaigne! the researcher has found out indispensable points to

ta?e note as supplemental information about diversion

The 6rst point is about death Both Pascal and (ontaigne

mentioned death in their :ritings concerning diversion To them! :e do

not :ant to thin? of death because :hen :e thin? of it! :e become

miserable And so! in order not to thin? of it! :e ta?e diversion

7o:ever! Pascal :ould suggest that there should a balance approachon diversion because! to him! diversion itself! :ould lead us

unconsciously to death


67/78


68/78

.;

impression to revenge :hen oHended To him! it is only diversion that

ma?es man not be held in leash by revenge

The last point is about every little thing Although! only

(ontaigne mentioned every little thing in his :ritings! yet this is also a

crucial point to ta?e note for us to be more a:are of diversion For

(ontaigne! every little thing around us diverts us for the reason that

every little thing holds us This is true in our e9perience that every

little thing attracts our senses For that reason! every little thing

stimulates diversion on us And so! our senses should be held in leash Thus! :ith all these four points! the researcher found out that

diversion in itself is good 7o:ever! it is bad if :e already rely totally

on it That’s :hy! both Pascal and (ontaigne :ould li?e all of us to be

reminded of an e&uilibrium on our approaches to diversion *ith that!

there should be a time to divert and a time to rest

1ne thing that I cannot agree :ith (ontaigne is :hen he said

that every little thing holds us< this vie: someho: considers the

intellect as inferior to the things around us "i?e:ise! this vie: seems

to control the mind that the mind is dra:n by the things around us *e

learned in Aristotelian logic that it is the mind that captures the things

and not the other :ay around The things cannot capture the mind

*hen the mind captures a thing! an idea is formed in the mind :ith the

corresponding phantasm from :hich the idea is dra:n Thus! the

things cannot hold us They are )ust the means for us to be diverted


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.E

1n the other hand! :hen Pascal said that the reason man cannot stay

&uietly in his o:n room is because of diversion I disagree because

diversion cannot be deliberated absolutely as such 09perience tells us

that there is something good in diversion 1ne cannot deny the need of

diversion *e play bas?etball after a long hour of :or? in order to free

ourselves from boredom and many more This sho:s that there is

something good in diversion

As to the &uestion :hether our choices aHect diversion! Pascal

and (ontaigne never tac?led that Both simply introduced the causesand eHects of diversion 'iversion for both is simply a transient cure of

one’s ills I can term it simply as a pain?iller *hen :e have toothache!

for instance! :e suddenly ta?e a pain reliever Accordingly! :e are

immediately relieved That means :e are diverted 7ence! :e are

happy 7o:ever the comfort :ill not last long Again and again the pain

comes bac? That’s :hy for (ontaigne and Pascal! one should not

solely rely on it Instead! one should confront the a iction itself!

according to (ontaigne For Pascal! it leads us slo:ly to death

*e cannot deny the fact that :e are endo:ed :ith intellect 1ur

minds form our decision 7o:ever! :e may someho: impugn/ :hat is

the relation of our intellect to diversionN First! our intellect enables us

to e9ercise diversion for one cannot divert! unless his mind con6rms

:hat his body li?es Secondly! the mind decides so that :hen one is


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,

mentally challenged! diversion is not feasible Precisely! :e cannot

divert :ithout using our minds 1ur minds control everything

2o: the last &uestion :ould be/ Is diversion necessaryN *ell!

both philosophers never mentioned :hether diversion is necessary in

one’s life Both simply have given us situations to be able to determine

the pros and cons of diversion About this! our e9periences :ith

ourselves in the :orld :ould testify if diversion is indeed necessary or

not It is clear that :hen :e face the Angst in life! our minds abruptly

choose the many feasibilities of diverting our attention from our recentconcerns Thus! :e ephemerally begin to stay calm and eventually

face the Angst :ith calmness and mettle *hat if our minds do not

divertN *hat :ould become of usN According to (ontaigne! he :ill be

lost once he :ould simply rely on his strength :ithout diversion To this

I can say that diversion becomes the pons bet:een the a icted self

the Angst and the normal self That is to say! diversion is

indispensable :eapon of confronting the Angst in life This ma?es

diversion necessary 7o:ever! loo?ing at a man :hose diversion is in

the form of drin?ing alcoholic beverages! can forget transiently his

problem but if he :ill thoroughly rely on it then sooner or later he :ill

destroy himself This is true :hen Pascal said that the immediate

source of happiness is diversion yet relying solely on it leads one

slo:ly to his demise


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-

"astly! every day :e al:ays divert 0ven eating is a form of

diversion 0ating of course is necessary In eating! :e survive If eating

is necessary and if it is diversion! then :e can say that diversion is also

necessary 7o:ever! in eating :e are still free to choose :hether :e

eat or not Some :ould even sacri6ce their eating 1ne instance is

during 7oly *ee? Catholics believe that fasting and abstinence help

us control ourselves in its entirety If :e can choose not to eat a meal

for the sa?e of the good :e can get from it! then ho: much more is

diversion 'iversion is necessary 7o:ever! :e can choose not to divertfor the sa?e of the good and that is solving the issue through

confrontation 1thers :ould choose to face the ills than having

diversion 6rst *ell! it’s up to us to decide as long as the Angst in life is

overcome 7o:ever! in facing the Angst in life! a suggestion is that it is

better to undergo diversion 6rst in order that Angst is faced calmly and

preparedly To cite an e9ample! man in the 6rst place is very much

confused and if he is confronted :ith ills in life! he :ould immediately

react to it restlessly That’s :hy! instead of bringing the ills into its

normal condition the :orst of it even occurs And so! man has to

prepare himself for it! has to condition himself for it and this is :hat

:e called as a diversion

*ith all these! diversion is a concept crucial in philosophy

because it is applied directly to man’s life a life that is inevitably full

of :orries and miseries This is :hat the e9istentialist philosophers


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+

considered as Angst In diversion! each of us has to rationali#e :hether

or not this diversion is good for us It needs prudence :hich Aristotle

considers it as a virtue that helps us ma?e a right )udgment in a given

situation in life

('6' Recommendations

'iversion is one of the essentials in life that enables us humans

to survive amidst various diUculties in life 7o:ever! ta?ing a balance

approach on diversion is not an easy thing to consider A lot of us

al:ays choose stir than rest due to the fact that :e hardly survive

:ithout happiness 7aving presented the concepts of diversion of

Pascal and (ontaigne in its entirety! the researcher suggests that it

:ould be better to bolster our vie:s on diversion by ta?ing into

account the :ritings of Pascal and (ontaigne *ith that! the researcher

li?e:ise suggests the readers to ac&uire a copy of Pascal’s and

(ontaigne’s :or?s As for Pascal’s :or?s! the researcher recommends

the readers to have a copy of (u)an (appiness, and The &ro in$ial

etters, &ensees, *$ienti8$ Treatises :ritten by Pascal himself

"i?e:ise! as to (ontaigne’s :or?! the researcher recommends the

readers to grab a copy of The #ssa%s :ritten by (ontaigne himself

By reading these recommended boo?s! one’s ?no:ledge of

diversion :ill then be bolstered


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"astly! the researcher :ould li?e also to recommend not limiting

our ideas solely on Pascal’s and (ontaigne’s concepts of diversion If

one 6nds another prominent :ritings as to diversion! then so much the

better For that reason! our philosophical understanding of diversion

may not be :ea?ened

Bi0liography


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Primary Sources

'e (ontaigne! (ichel The #ssa%s Translated by Charles Cotton 0ditedby *

Care: 7a#litt "ondon/ *illiam Benton 0ncyclopedia Britannica!Inc ! -E;E

Pascal! Blaise The &ro in$ial etters, &ensees, *$ienti8$ Treatises0dited by %obert

(aynard 7utchins "ondon and 2e: 4or?/ *illiam Benton0ncyclopedia Britannica! Inc ! -E;E

$$$$$$$$$$$ (u)an (appiness Trans A J >railsheimer 0ngland/Penguin

3roup! +,,;

Secondary Sources

Boo)s

Broo?s! 0velyn %obert Forget Your Troubles 0velyn %obert Broo?s!+,,E

0d:ards! Paul! ed The #n$%$lopedia o0 &hilosoph% "ondon/ Collier(acmillan Publishers! -E D

3ove! Philip Babctc?! ed Webster1s Third "ew .nternational +i$tionar%5 S A /

3 C (erriam Company! -E

7artle! Ann Mi$hel +e Montaigne- A$$idental &hilosopher 2e: 4or?/Cambridge 5niversity Press! +,,

Ruint! 'avid Montaigne and the /ualit% o0 Mer$%- #thi$al and &oliti$alThe)esin the #ssais 2e: Jersey/ Princeton 5niversity Press! -EE;

Stumpf! Samuel 0noch *o$rates to *artre and Be%ond, *e enth#dition 2e:


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4or?/(c3ra:G7ill Companies! Inc !-E !-ED.!-E;+!-E;;!-EE !-EEE!+,,

=an 2ess! Peter 7 *piritualit%, +i ersion, and +e$aden$e- The

Conte)porar% &redi$a)ent Albany/ State 5niversity of 2e: 4or? Press! -EE+

*ood! *illiam Blaise &as$al on +upli$it%, *in, and the Fall- The *e$ret .nstin$t

5nited >ingdom/ 19ford 5niversity Press! +,-

$lectronic Materials

Bodhipa?sa KBlaise Pascal/ All of man’s misfortune comes from one

thing! :hichis not ?no:ing ho: to sit &uietly in a room L Wild)ind BuddhistMeditation Blog, 1ctober +.! +,,; Accessed 2ovember +! +,-http/MM::: :ildmind orgMblogsM&uoteGofGtheGmonthMblaiseGpascalGsolitude

KBlaise Pascal’s Biography L #n$%$lopedia o0 World Biograph% Accessed August !

+,- http/MM::: notablebiographies comM2iGPeMPascalGBlaise html

KBlaise Pascal’s Biography L The Fa)ous &eople Accessed August!+,-http/MM::: thefamouspeople comMpro6lesMblaiseGpascalG- - php

Cline! Austin! KAngst/ 'read! An9iety! and Anguish!L About !eligion !accessed

(arch + ! +,-.http/MMatheism about comModMe9istentialistthemesMaMangst htm

0delman! Christopher! ed .nternet #n$%$lopedia o0 &hilosoph% Accessed August -!

+,- http/MM::: iep utm eduMmontaignMV7

James Carter! Stephen L'istractions and 'iversions/ (as?ing 1urFeeble and

(ortal Condition in Pascal’s Pensees L The 3reat Conversation! January +D! +,-+ Accessed 2ovember +!+,-

8/18/2019 Bla

blaise pascal’s and michel de montaigne’s concept of diversion: a comparative study

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