Fénelon, Pascal, and the Jansenists: perspectives of a metaphysics of will

Abstract

The paper analyzes Fénelon’s critique of Pascal focusing on the concept of the will. When Fénelon criticizes Pascal, in fact he is attacking Jansenism because he does not distinguish among views of Pascal, Arnauld, and Nicole. Fénelon’s main argument against Jansenism is that its notion of the will is based on the theory of delectation and therefore it remains within the limitations of self-love (amour-propre). In contrast, Fenelon distinguishes between the material and the formal sides of the will, opening the way to a Kantian interpretation of the notion.