Man is a thinking reed, and man is a thinking reed, who said that he can think?

1. First of all, Pascalken concludes that human reason can know the world, so human beings are greater than other things, and secondly, rational cognitive ability is limited, and it is impossible for human beings to recognize everything in the universe, so human beings are insignificant. Therefore, man is only a "reed" (small), but he can think (great).

2. Pascal believes that man is rational, which is a gift from God, and that man's insignificance is due to man's original sin. God has endowed man with infinite power, but he has been limited by man's own depravity.

Therefore, man can only be saved by recognizing his own flaws and returning to his infinite faith in God, reason is not omnipotent, and therefore reason cannot save mankind, only God can do it.

This sentence uses the rhetorical device of metaphor, and it has two implications. (1) Man is a reed, which means that man is like a reed, the most fragile in nature, and it does not take the whole universe to pick up ** to destroy him, one breath and a drop of water are enough to kill a person. (2) "Man is a reed that can think", after emphasizing the fragile side of man, the emphasis is on the nobility of man's thought, which is the whole dignity of man, and with thought, talent is much more noble than what causes him to die.

Because of thought, man encompasses the entire universe.

Man is nothing more than a reed, the most fragile thing in nature; But he's a thinking reed. You don't need the entire universe to pick up ** to destroy; One breath, one drop of water, was enough to kill him. Yet, even though the universe destroyed him, man would still be far more noble than what killed him; Because he knew that he was going to die, and that the universe had an advantage over him, and the universe knew nothing about it.

Therefore, our whole dignity lies in our thoughts. It is because of it, and not because of the space and time that we cannot fill, that we have to improve ourselves. Therefore, we should strive to think well; This is the principle of morality.

The reed that can think - I should seek my own dignity, not for space, but for the rules of my own thoughts. It doesn't matter how much land I own; Because of space, the universe encompasses me and engulfs me, like a mass; Because of the thoughts, I encompass the universe. Man is neither an angel nor an animal; But the misfortune lies in the fact that those who want to be angels do become.

Because man is the most fragile thing in nature, but he is a thinking reed. To destroy him, you don't need the whole universe to be armed, a breath of air, a drop of water, can kill him. But when the universe destroys him, man is still nobler than the destroyer, because he knows that he is dead, and he knows that the universe has an advantage over him; The universe does not know that our whole dignity lies in our thoughts.

Pascal. Man is a reed that thinks is a philosophical essay by Pascal. Excerpt from "Wang Shou Li Thought Records".