Dr Edyta Godziszewska
University of Kalisz
English abstract: The aim of this article is to analyse the possibility of the existence of a perfect state in the light of Blaise Pascal’s reflections on justice and law. The work juxtaposes utopian visions of ideal states, based on the moral perfection of citizens, as well as modern concepts derived from natural law or the social contract, with Pascal’s critical perspective, which emphasized the sinful human nature and the inevitable link between law and force or coercion. The analysis is based on seventeenth-century philosophical and political literature as well as on interpretations of Pascal’s texts. The main focus is on his reflections on the limitations of human justice and the need for law to maintain order and ensure security. The article argues that a perfect state in the earthly sense is impossible, and that true justice belongs only to the divine sphere. The originality of the study lies in presenting Pascal as a critic of rationalist utopias, one who showed that the state cannot be perfect, even though its existence ultimately has its source in God.
Key words: state, law, justice, order, reason
Language: polish
Published: Number 2(47)/2026, pp. 7–21.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36280/AFPiFS.2026.2.7
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