Shining a light on the life of Blaise Pascal

BLAISE PASCAL:
The Man Who Made the Modern World
By Graham Tomlin
Hodder & Stoughton. 448 pages. £25
ISBN 978 1 399 807 647

Everyone has heard of Blaise Pascal. Perhaps it is through his Pensées (Thoughts) that so brilliantly speak of the importance of Christianity. Maybe it is from Pascal’s idea that (in a world of distraction) the best thing a person can do is to sit quietly in his room.

What this book does so successfully is to set the life of Blaise Pascal into historical context, painting a picture of the social, political, religious and philosophical scene in which he lived. Tomlin provides a detailed account of the people and places that shaped Pascal, the importance of his family and the church.