Rogerio F. Martins

We intend to put certain aspects of pascalian speculation within an epistemological background. We will frame them, in more detail, within the so-called tradition of Epistemic Foundationalism. The main intention will be to show the genesis of the first principles, essential for the epistemological framework in this tradition, and the consequences arising therefrom. For this purpose, we will compare the pascalian developments to the cartesian on this theme. We hope, at the end of the paper, to have demonstrated the strength and novelty of the pascalian solution and the moral desideratum to which it can lead us.

We will seek to position certain aspects of Pascal’s speculationfrom an epistemological background. We are going to frame them, moreprecisely, within what is called, in Theory of Knowledge, the traditionof Epistemic Foundationalism. The intention here will be to show thegenesis of the first principles, essential for the entire epistemologicalframework in this tradition, and the consequences arising therefrom.For this purpose, we will compare the pascalian developments with thecartesian ones on the subject. We hope, at the end of the article, to havedemonstrated the strength and novelty of the pascalian solution and the moral desideratum to which it can lead us.