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PASCALIAN GENIUS FOUR HUNDRED YEARS LATER: MATHEMATICAL CREATIVITY, EPISTEMOLOGY, AND THE PARADOX OF MATHEMATICS’ DECLINING EDUCATIONAL ATTRACTIVENESS


Author: Dr NADOHOU Hermann Juste*
Assistant Professor of Philosophy at CAMES Universities, Lecturer and Researcher in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology/FLASH/University of Parakou (BENIN).
Published Date: 2023-08-31
Keywords: Pascal, Mathematics Education, Philosophy of Science, Mathematical Anxiety, Rationality, Educational Reform.
Abstract:

Four hundred years after the birth of Blaise Pascal, the figure of the “Pascalian genius” continues to illuminate both the extraordinary heights of mathematical invention and the deep philosophical tension between reason and faith. Yet paradoxically, mathematics—the very field that shaped humanity’s rational progress—now suffers from declining educational appeal and emotional resistance among students. This paper explores the enduring influence of Pascal’s thought across mathematics, philosophy, and education, juxtaposed with the current decline in mathematical enthusiasm. Through historical, pedagogical, and socio-cultural analysis, we propose a Pascalian framework for re-enchanting mathematical learning: one that reconciles rational rigor with existential curiosity, and intellectual mastery with human wonder. Ultimately, Pascal’s legacy reminds us that the true genius of mathematics lies not merely in calculation, but in the search for meaning.