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Fear and Wisdom, Anger and Patience
One of my favorite passages from Pascal’s Pensées is this that comes from a section titled “Imagination” and numbered as 82 in the traditional edition:
“Put the world’s greatest philosopher on a plank that is wider than need be: if there is a precipice below, although his reason may convince him that he is safe, his imagination will prevail. Many could not even stand the thought of it without going pale and breaking into sweat.”
Yesterday my car malfunctioned and I had to drive very slowly in traffic. People honked at me and appeared quite angry. This experience gives me the contemporary analogue to Pascal’s plank over a precipice:
“Put the world’s greatest driver in traffic behind a vehicle that is moving faster than need be: if there is a space in front of the driver, although his reason will convince him that he will not get to his destination any quicker, his anger will prevail. Many could not even stand the thought of it without shaking with rage and uttering profanities.”
The parallel is far from perfect, but instructive: there is a shift from fear and wisdom to anger and patience, but I think this authentically reflects the moral psychology of our time.
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