Pascal’s Wager is an argument in philosophy made by seventeenth century French philosopher Blaise Pascal. His argument assumes that individuals wager their lives on the existence or non-existence of God. His argument is based on the Christian conception of God and thus, believes that the most rational and beneficial choice is to believe in God. Pascal’s Wager in the simplest form is, “If you win, you win all; if you lose, you lose nothing" (Pascal). Pascal says that if God exists and one wagers
Pascal 's Wager Blaise Pascal takes a unique approach in defending the eternal question of God 's existence. "Pascal 's Wager" is the name given to the argument written by himself stating that it is prudent to believe in God 's existence because it is the best bet. Suppose that there is a winning sweepstakes ticket that is worth a new luxurious car and there are only two tickets to choose from. We know that one of them is the winning ticket, while the other is worth nothing. We are allowed to buy
believe in a God. Choosing to believe in God, being the creator and someone who is all knowing and powerful being, comes with some benefits according to Pascal’s wager. The fundamental idea behind Pascal's Wager is a Pros and con's list as to why one should believe in God and it shows positives and the negatives of believing and not believing. Pascal's Wager by Blaise Pascal is a persuasive argument for whether God exists, but there are many faults with the argument because viewing
In anthropology, there are four main approaches that one can take when observing a religion or cultural practice: methodological atheism, methodological theism, methodological ludism, and methodological agnosticism. Each of these approaches has its own benefits as well as down sides. Methodological agnosticism is the best method of approach when an anthropologist is attempting to study and understand a particular culture and religion. Methodological agnosticism works best because it allows for
The nature of heroism in “Judith” melds the heroic qualities of the pre-Christian Anglo Saxons and the Judeo-Christian heroic qualities. The Anglo Saxon qualities are the skills in battle, bravery, and strong bonds between a chieftain and the thanes. This social bond requires, on the part of the leader, the ability to inspire, and form workable relationships with subordinates. These qualities, while seen obviously in the heroine and her people, may definitely be contrasted by the notable absence
need a more solidifying use of reason instead of evidence based logic. Because when trying to qualify your main thesis within an argument using evidence based logic and reasoning would aid in establishing credibility with your audience. So in Pascal's "The Wager" it utilizes argument theory of deductive reasoning. Deductive reasoning or theory is similar to cause and effect inference, an example could be if you drop a ball it will hit the ground. However deductive theory validates the end result through
Belief is not Decision Pascal’s Wager, the argument that an individual who believes in God’s existence is entitled to infinite gains. There are three objections against Pascal article, including “the wrong motivation”, “too many options” and “Belief not a decision”. Among these three reasonable objections, I believe that the strongest one is “Belief not a decision”, because everything needs a reason as people are born as rational creatures. Otherwise, people believe in the existence of God because
Pascal 's Wager is named after Blaise Pascal. He was a 17th-century French mathematician and philosopher. In his works Pensees which means ‘thoughts’, is Pascal 's Wager. It was published in 1670. He says that you would gain much more by betting that God does exist. If someone believed that God does exist they would obtain Heaven, but if they believed God exists but God doesn’t then they lose nothing. If a person did not believe in God and God does exists then they would obtain Hell and severe misery
God must exist seem to fail, even if God cannot be proven, can belief in God be justified? There are three philosophers who attempted to answer this question. The first was Blaise Pascal, who argued in favor of belief in God as explained in “Pascal’s Wager,” an argument that justified it to his mind until his death in 1662. The second Philosopher was W. K. Clifford, who argued against forming any beliefs without sufficient evidence and encouraged agnosticism if evidence cannot be found. The third
important to consider the factor of belief in faith for individuals who want to reach an ideal outcome after life. In this essay, I will discuss Pascal’s wager and the reasons given for why believing in God is beneficial, I do so by exploring the truth-dependent and truth-independent pragmatic arguments presented by Jeffrey Jordan in relation to the wager. I then explore the Many-Gods objection, and observe possible concerns that can arise, ultimately arguing that pragmatic arguments are not persuasive
Pascal’s wager states that believing in God will either lead to infinite gain or finite loss while disbelief leads to infinite loss and finite gain depending on where God exists or not. It is not a way of proving if God exists but to say that believing in God has more benefits than disbelief in God. I don’t believe that the it is that simple with many different factors affecting the gain and loss. The wager itself is made with the idea of the christian God but there are so many religions out there
In this essay I will be writing about Blaise Pascal, a mathematician and French philosopher whose work became very popular due to his "Wager". Pascal's argument in his essay "The Wager" states that any rational human should believe in God. He states that regardless of whether or not God exists, the option of believing yields the greatest benefit and the least loss out of all the possibilities. In believing in God, one can receive infinite gain which is heaven, if God exist, and would only have finite
they believe Pascals over simplify true faith into a simple game of poker. Pascal’s Wager states the possible outcome of being a believer in God and the possible outcomes of not believing in God. With the outcome provided from Pascal’s Wager, people can now decide whether to become a believer or not based on the possible outcomes. In this essay, I shall demonstrate the reasons behind agreeing with this claim. Pascal’s Wager is an argument that it is one’s best interest to believe that god exist. In
Argument Against the Argument of Pascal’s Wager In Pascal’s Wager, Pascal pioneered new thoughts and opinions amongst his peers in probability theories by attempting to justify that believing in God is advantageous to one’s personal interest. In this paper, I will argue that Pascal’s argument rationalizing why one should believe in God fails and I will suggest that even if one was to accept Pascal’s wager theory, this will not be a suffice resolution to reap the rewards that God has promised to Christian
While there are many arguments for the existence of God, as well as arguments against His existence, Pascal 's argument is the most basic and relatable. Pascal explains his wager theory as a wager where you’re better off betting that God exists rather than not due to a bigger reward. When you believe that God exists, and you’re right, you gain eternal life; if you’re wrong you lose nothing. In contrast, if you bet against God, and you’re wrong, you miss out on the eternal life that you could’ve had
Firstly, Blaise Pascal’s writing, Pensées, is a collection of fragments used to argue his thoughts on the existence of God. A large sum of evidence is taken from his argument about the importance of faith and reason. Pascal’s wager argues that if a person believes in God and He does not exist, then they have lost nothing; but if He does exist they will live eternally. If a person does not believe in God and He does not exist, then they gain nothing, but if He does exist they will live eternally in
sets his argument up on faith and belief, not presumption. Pascals Wager, an argument not about the whether the existence of God is valid, but rather the rationality of it. Blaise Pascal, compares the belief in God to the metaphorical equivalent of a gamble, or a wager. Arguing that God poses an infinite power, Pascal describes how "He is infinitely incomprehensible"(Pascal's 4) mentioning how "He has no Affinity to us". (Pascal's 4). Concluding that we cannot come up with a conclusion for god's
to understand that God exists, Pascal takes different approach, claiming that we cannot know such a finite thing. In Pascal’s Wager, he claims that we must choose to believe whether or not there is a God. In this essay, I will discuss how Descartes’s influenced Pascal’s thinking. I will first outline Descartes’s argument for the existence of God. I will then outline Pascal’s wager and argue that it is in response to Descartes’s philosophy on God. {Further, I will compare and contrast the emphasis
Pascal in the argument of Pascal’s Wager, Pascal claims that most people bet on their lives that God either does or does not exist. In providing his reasoning, the probability of the various outcomes pertaining to finite and infinite gains as well as losses is shown, coming to the conclusion that logically one should believe in God. Although some people believe in God and an afterlife of paradise, we cannot truly grasp the extent of God’s existence. Through assessing Pascal’s argument, it is essential
Mathematics, Philosophy and Theology: Pascal’s Braid Throughout history, there have been many great thinkers. They have sprawled among many disciplines, from philosophy to physics. Nevertheless, some of these have made important contributions to many fields at the same time. One of these cases is that of Blaise Pascal, who was deeply influential in mathematics, philosophy and theology. In a sense, one could say that these three disciplines were intertwined in his work. By studying the loftier aspects