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Students rested well after their late night of art and beauty in Los Angeles, and were eager to return to the classroom Friday for the last classes of their first week at the California High School Summer Program.

In the morning class, they considered Pascal’s “wager” from his book �ʱ�Բ�é���. This famous thought experiment begins with the statement that “either God exists or He does not.” Although Pascal rules out the possibility that human reason can resolve the disjunction, he argues that, given the possibility of God’s existence and the possibility of Hell for those who deny it, it is better to stake our souls on God’s existence.

Students found Pascal’s argument compelling, if his dismissal of reason troubling, and continued their discussions over lunch. In their next class, they revisited the theme of God’s existence — and the question of reason’s competence to settle the question. Combining selections from the French naturalist J. Henri Fabre’s observations of insect behavior and St. Thomas Aquinas’s “fifth way” of proving God’s existence in the Summa Theologiae, they realized that Pascal’s rejection of reason in favor of blind, irrational faith was premature. The reality of intelligent behavior by non-intelligent animals implies that the world comes from an intelligence, just as an arrow hits a target because it has been aimed by an archer.

Students found the day’s classes invigorating, especially the comparison between Pascal and St. Thomas. Some were careful to appreciate the differences between them without putting them in unnecessary opposition. “St. Thomas’s project is really good, but I think that radical trust in God is a really beautiful thing — like how Abraham trusted in God with Isaac,” said Astrid.  

Classes were invigorating, but exhausting! Fortunately, the afternoon will offer ample time for recreation and relaxation: athletics and art, a Shakespearean surprise, auditions for tomorrow’s open-mic night, and more.

Come to the Summer Program Blog tomorrow to see how it all turns out!