Ratiocentric and cordocentric controversies of Modern European humanism: B. Pascal's "logic of the heart"

Abstract

The article examines Pascal's philosophy in the context of the confrontation between naturalistic and humanistic trends in the history of philosophy from Antiquity to the Baroque periods (the highest manifestation of this period is the confrontation between two humanisms: Renaissance ratiocentric and Baroque cordocentric ones). Pascal's philosophy is considered in the article as a manifestation of Baroque thought. In particular – in terms of the general view of nature and human destiny. It is indicated that, in contrast to Renaissance anthropocentrism, which put forward reason as the key and highest human faculty, Baroque theocentric thinking relegitimates the "heart" faculty which is necessary for cognition of the divine dimensions of the world. On this ground, the author interprets Pascal's philosophy as cordocentric: one that, against the background of the limitations of the absolute epistemological claims of reason, justifies the importance of the "heart" faculty in discovering the fundamental principles of God, nature, and the world. According to this vision, reason is assigned the function of explaining these principles.