ABSTRACT
Far from criticizing diversion as mere futility, Pascal considers it an inevitable survival resource for the human condition, continually threatened by boredom (ennui). What is still not entirely clear, however, is the extent of this inevitability. In other words: is the Christian also having diversions, or is it a necessary way only for non-Christians? Is it a phenomenological description of human behavior, with no implication for the Pascalian apologetic project, or is it a constituent element of the latter? These questions make it necessary returning to the topic, analyzing the main fragments that explore it and returning to some fundamental interpreters. In the end, we intend to have shown that diversion can only be avoided when the superhuman intervention of grace occurs.
Keywords
Pascal; diversion; ennui; XVII century; ethics