Man is only a reed (thought 63)
Facing the power of the world, what is the specificity of the human being, his deepest essence?
Text of “Tought 63” by Blaise Pascal}}
Text located on page 347 of the original manuscript.
Man is only a reed, the weakest of nature; but he is a thinking reed. The whole universe must not arm itself to crush him: a vapour, a drop of water, is enough to kill him. But, when the universe would crush it, man would be even more noble than that which kills him, since he knows that he is dying, and the advantage that the universe has over him; the universe knows nothing of it.
All our dignity therefore consists in thought. It is from there that we must rise, and not from space and time, which we cannot fill. So let us work to think well: that is the principle of morality.
Man is only a reed, the weakest of nature; but he is a thinking reed. The whole universe must not arm itself to crush him: a vapour, a drop of water, is enough to kill him. But, when the universe would crush it, man would be even more noble than that which kills him, since he knows that he is dying, and the advantage that the universe has over him; the universe knows nothing of it.
All our dignity therefore consists in thought. It is from there that we must rise, and not from space and time, which we cannot fill. So let us work to think well: that is the principle of morality.
- Man is only a reed (thought 63) (MPEG4)
Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) was a philosopher, engineer and mathematician of genius. Among other major scientific and philosophical advances, in 1645 he invented and built the first mechanical calculating machine, laying the concrete foundations of computer science.
The “Pensées” are a collection of very short texts, divided into numerous themes, which were found after Blaise Pascal’s death. The “Pensées” are Blaise Pascal’s most illustrious, striking and accessible work.
These films, directed by Benoît Labourdette, are based on the principle of choosing a “Thought”, and creating images, sounds, music, rhythm, life, architecture and imagination to showcase it. The film is there to propose discovery and invite personal philosophical thought, based on Blaise Pascal’s fulgurances. Each film is accompanied by the full text of the “Thought” chosen, and sometimes by a text of my own, to make the link with our contemporary reality.
On June 19, 2023, we celebrate the 400th anniversary of Blaise Pascal’s birth. These films are a form of homage to this thinker who, for me, speaks profoundly to our contemporary issues.
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Glass Video loop by Benoît Labourdette (1’10s, 2013).
Raindrops on the window of a moving train. Plan sets a moving object. Metaphor of cinema: the film set in the device records the movement of the (…) -
The reason (thought 267) A film by Benoît Labourdette (4’15s, 2020).
The paradox of knowing there’s so much we don’t know. IssueCan a film be a philosophical support? I.e. to be a tool to open up to the activity (…) -
Nature begins again (thought 121) A film by Benoît Labourdette (2’22s, 2021).
Thinking the mystery of life through mathematics. -
Faith crisis Calligrams
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Is nature a computer system? Hypothesis for a digital naturalism.
The philosopher Mark Alizart, in “Celestial Computing” (2017), explores the idea that nature is computing, bringing together the living (DNA, (…)