This reading group is for individuals who want to dive deeper into Blaise Pascal's Pensées, the Fall 2022 Berkeley Institute Community Read. We will approach this text not from the position of scholarly authority, but in an attempt to connect questions about how we think with how we live. We will discuss different thematic threads that emerge across the Pensées, ending on the question: How should we live our lives in the face of profound uncertainty, when committing ourselves to particular moral or philosophical positions feels impossible?

Location: The Berkeley Institute, 2134 Allston Way

Time: 6:30-8:00 PM

Dates: Wednesdays in November

• November 2nd: Boredom & Distraction - pdf of reading
  Pensées 10 (p.4) , 24 (p.6), 36 (p.8), 39 (p. 8), 47-48 (pp.13-14), 68 (p. 19), 70 (p. 19), 72 (p. 19) 77 (p. 21), 79 (p 21), 113 (p. 29), 132-134 (p. 37), 136 (pp. 137-141) and 200 (p. 66)

• November 9th: Ambition & Vanity - pdf of reading
  Pensées 13 (p.5), 18 (p.5), 21 (p.5), 23 (p.6), 26 (p.6), 40 (p. 8), 104 (p. 26), 110-112 (pp. 28-9), 114 (p. 29), 117 (p. 29-30), 118 (p. 30), 122 (p. 31), 148 (pp.45-46), 197 (p. 58-59), 198 (p.59), 199 (pp. 59-66)

• November 16th: Commitment- pdf of reading
  Pensées 5 (p.3-4), 7 (p.4), 11(p.4), 33 (p.7), 44 (pp.9-12), 99 (p.25-6), 125-127 (p.32), 131(pp.33-36), 164 (p.53), 170 (pp.53-4), 177 (p. 54), 188 (p.56), 205 (p.67), 208 (pp.67-8), 230 (p.72), 401 (p.118), 418-426 (pp.121-7)