Episode Details

In this episode of pplpod, we explore the short but brilliant life of Blaise Pascal (1623–1662), a French polymath who made groundbreaking contributions to mathematics, physics, and philosophy before his death at age 39. A child prodigy educated by his father, Pascal wrote a treatise on conic sections at age 16 that was so advanced René Descartes refused to believe a teenager had written it.

Join us as we discuss Pascal’s journey from a young inventor to a Catholic mystic, covering:

• The Mechanical Calculator: How Pascal invented the "Pascaline"—a forerunner to modern computer engineering—to help his father calculate taxes.

• Physics and Vacuums: His experiments with barometers and mercury that proved atmospheric pressure changes with altitude and challenged the Aristotelian belief that "nature abhors a vacuum".

• The Mathematics of Chance: His correspondence with Pierre de Fermat regarding gambling problems, which established the theory of probability.

• The Night of Fire: The intense religious experience in 1654 that led Pascal to carry a sewn-in "Memorial" note in his coat for the rest of his life.

• The Wager: An examination of his unfinished masterpiece, the Pensées, in which he describes humans as "thinking reeds" and formulates a probabilistic argument for belief in God known as Pascal's wager.

From the arithmetic triangle to the invention of public transportation in Paris, tune in to learn why the SI unit of pressure is named in his honor.