The core question investigated is how human reason and faith can be reconciled in the face of existential uncertainty and the limitations of the human condition. Blaise Pascal, a mathematician and physicist, utilizes his background in logic and scientific inquiry to construct a defense of the Christian faith. He argues that human existence is defined by a profound sense of wretchedness and greatness, which can only be resolved through divine grace. The text serves as a structured collection of fragments intended to persuade the skeptical mind of the necessity of belief.

Scholars and philosophers regard this work as a foundational text in Western intellectual history, often noting the profound psychological insight present in Pascal's observations. Readers frequently highlight the density of the prose and the rigorous logical structure that underpins his theological arguments.