“Blaise Pascal, la mathématique au coeur de l’humanité” by Cédric Villani

Cédric Villani (IHES & Université Lyon 1) gave a conference organized by Les Amis de l’IHES on Thursday, March 21, 2024, at 6 pm:

« Blaise Pascal, la mathématique au cœur de l’humanité »  

The Philosophes des Lumières were tempted to drive Blaise Pascal into a corner, portray him as a mad genius, and avoid taking into account his disturbing vision of the world and of knowledge. However, the torments of the twentieth century and recent advances in science have made him a precursor in many areas, such as his passion for the relationship between automaticity and reflection. In retrospect, he appears to be the only mathematician of his time to reflect all the facets of this discipline, including its economic side, with an adventure that made him the first entrepreneur in the “tech” industry.

Let’s explore some of his still fascinating facets.

Watch the conference:

Contact: Ingrid Peeters