This paper will work to discuss the premise of “the heart” as identified by Blaise Pascal’s claim that “the heart has its reasons which reason does not know.” It will determine what Pascal meant when he referred to the heart and how this concept relates to the concept of intuition. An analysis of Pascal’s statement in which his claim is supported will likewise be presented.
Blaise Pascal’s Pensées, written in 1670, serves to offer up the mathematician and philosopher’s thoughts and perspectives on the Christian religion. One of the most well-known lines from the Pensées, originates from Section four, “The heart has its reasons which reason does not know” (1670). In spite of its oft quoted nature, this excerpt regarding one of the different paths to ethical truth shows not only how the interpretations of the quote may vary widely from person to person, but how even ethicists may disagree regarding the proper path to reaching an ethical truth.
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"The Heart’s Reasons".
The primary reason that this particular quote has become open to so much interpretation is because of the reference to the “heart,” a term which he referred to in order to describe what “we intuitively know as opposed to what we know through deductive reasoning” (Fernandes, 2004). Pascal believed “that there were more ways to find truth than through reason alone,” requiring the individual to search inside themselves in order to determine what they “knew” to be true (Fernandes, 2004). Intuitive reasoning is typically identified as a form of inner perception, varying widely from individual to individual, impossible to verify through the use of empirical knowledge (Carlin, 2007). Stemming from the Latin, inteuri, the word intuition is typically translated as indicating the process of looking inside oneself or engaging in contemplative actions (Carlin, 2007). The disconnection that arises as a result of this method of reasoning, generating two distinct brands of thought results from the question of whether the ethicists falls into the belief that intuition or feeling plays a role in the ability to “know” a particular fact or whether or not they should be nullified in the pursuit of purist knowledge (Waller, 2011). “Some think ethics is based on emotions, and so cannot be objective. Others believe our emotions are a source of objective moral truth” (Waller, 2011, p. 54).
Taking this information into consideration, Pascal’s quote refers to the ability of the individual to distinguish a set path, without the inclusion of or the necessity of additional empirical knowledge to back up the matter being discerned. This practice is one that is accomplished by individuals on a daily basis, making up a large part of their decision making process oftentimes without the conscious acknowledgement of the process on the part of the individual themselves. It is for this reason that Pascal’s quote has been taken out of context and used and reused, applied to situations far beyond that which Pascal originally intended. Life has the distinct habit of falling into set patterns, time and time again, and it is the intuition of the individual that works to identify and extrapolate those patterns, offering the ability to “know” what will happen without being able to find a concrete or rational proof regarding the reasoning for coming to that decision. This practice is most often recognized in the job of the police officer; for an officer to say they are going with their “gut instinct” in terms of following up a lead or working a particular angle, this application of intuition is as a result of their brain’s ability to process those almost subliminal patterns, a far cruder method of stating the same thing that Pascal did, so many years ago.
“The proper role of the emotions is one of the most difficult and contentious questions in ethics” (Waller, 2011, p. 54). The truth of the matter is that there are many different ways to reach a certain ethical truth on a given subject, and there are many different processes that may be applied by the individual in order to do so. As Pascal (1670) stated “instinct and reason (are the) marks of two natures,” making one no less valid than the other. Pascal’s claim of intuition being the preferred method of doing so is not necessarily accurate, given that preference is a personal perspective, but this does not mean that the practice is any less valid than requiring the application of solely empirical data in order to come to a conclusion. Regardless of the school of thought that the individual prefers to adhere to, it is plain to see that of the many different options available in the quest for ethical truth and knowledge, Pascal’s is wholly valid.
