De l’Esprit géométrique : un classique sans édition ? Remarques philologiques et éditoriales

The history of the reception and publishing of Pascal’s text known as De l’Esprit géométrique is paradoxical. On one hand, the interest and richness of the philosophical issues in the text were recognized early on by Pascal’s contemporaries. On the other hand, the precise articulation of the two opuscules (“Réflexions sur la géométrie en général” and “De l’art de persuader”) within the aim of a common epistemological project remains underexplored . This is why a critical and commented edition of the text is necessary today. This article traces the genesis of this project, the history of the editorial tradition to which it responds, as well as the associated hermeneutical issues.

Our workshop at the Fondation des Treilles brought together three young researchers, from the fields of philosophy, history, and philosophy of science, as well as literature – all of which are complimentary in the study of Pascal’s work, and of particular interest in the context of the edition of the double opuscule De l’Esprit géométrique.