On the occasion of the publication of the Figaro Special Edition "
Blaise Pascal, the heart and the reason
", an exceptional evening is being held this Tuesday, March 28 from 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Collège des Bernardins in Paris.
On the program: round table, theatre, concert and reading of a selection of the famous
Pensées
.
The Figaro Live teams will broadcast the entire evening on figaro.fr.
Read the fileFigaro Hors-série: Blaise Pascal, heart and reason
Died at thirty-nine, after having expressed his genius in fields as varied as philosophy, mathematics and physics, the author of the famous "
The heart has its reasons, which reason ignores
" was above all an ardent researcher of God.
During this evening, spectators will be immersed in the Jansenist quarrel, which inflamed the 17th century and Pascal, through the
performance of
Port-Royal
de Montherlant (in extracts) staged by Jean-Luc Jeener
, founder and director since twenty-five years of the Théâtre du Nord-Ouest.
The characters of the Sisters of Port-Royal and Archbishop Hardouin de Péréfixe will be interpreted by Laurence Hétier, Louise Lemoine Torrès, Audrey Sourdive and Didier Bizet.
Searching for the Creator
During a round table, specialists
Laurence Plazenet, Pierre Manent, François-Xavier Bellamy and Father David Rabourdin
will discuss a work that seeks to lead to Christian conversion through wisdom and intelligence.
We will discover the vision that Pascal has of the man: a man both respected for his dignity as a "
thinking reed
" and complained about as being by essence subject to anguish and melancholy.
For the great scientist, a lover of mathematics, the remedy for this misery lies in the search for the creator.
Laurence Plazenet is professor of 17th century literature at Clermont d'Auvergne University, president of the Société des Amis de Port-Royal and director of the Blaise Pascal International Centre.
Pierre Manent is an associate professor of philosophy and normalien.
He is director of studies at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales and has studied the genesis of moral political philosophy.
François-Xavier Bellamy has been an associate professor of philosophy, normalien and European deputy since 2019. Father David Rabourdin is a doctoral student in philosophy and curate of the parish of Sainte Trinité in Paris.
Pascal's words will come to life in the mouth of actor
William Mesguich
, who will read a few excerpts from Les
Pensées
.
The actor, who had already looked into the subject while playing
The Interview of Mr. Descartes with Mr. Pascal the Younger in 2010,
will deliver here some of the most beautiful texts by the philosopher.
Finally, we will listen to interludes of sacred music interpreted by
the Ephata Choir
.
Created in 2017 by Rogatien Despaigne, this choir brings together 35 singers aged 18 to 23 who are passionate about sacred music.
An exceptional evening, under the sign of knowledge and entertainment, to follow in full on lefigaro.fr.
