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  1. Pascal's wager - Wikipedia

    • Pascal's wager is a philosophical argument advanced by Blaise Pascal (1623–1662), seventeenth-century French mathematician, philosopher, physicist, and theologian. This argument posits that individuals essentially engage in a life-defining gamble regarding the belief in the existence of God. Pascal contends that a rational person should adopt a lifestyle con… See more

    The wager

    The wager uses the following logic (excerpts from Pensées, part III, §233):
    • God is, or God is not. … See more

    Pascal's description of the wager

    The Pensées passage on Pascal's wager is as follows:
    If there is a God, He is infinitely incomprehensible, since, having neither parts nor limits, He has no affinity to us. We are then in… See more

    Criticism

    Criticism of Pascal's wager began soon after it was published. Non-believers questioned the "benefits" of a deity whose "realm" is beyond reason and the religiously orthodox, who primarily took issue with t… See more

    Pascal’s Wager: A Pragmatic Argument for Belief in God
    Pascal's wager is a pragmatic approach to the question of whether God exists. It argues that you should believe in God because of the infinite rewards and risks, even if the evidenc…
    1000-Word Philosophy: An Introductory Antho…
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    The wager
    Pascal's description of the wager
    Criticism
     
  1. Belief is a wise wager
    “Belief is a wise wager. Granted that faith cannot be proved, what harm will come to you if you gamble on its truth and it proves false? If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation, that He exists.”

    Quote by Blaise Pascal: “Belief is a wise w…

    www.goodreads.com/quotes/255553-belief-is-a-wis…
    As Pascal states, “Let us weigh the gain and the loss in wagering that God is. Let us estimate these two chances. If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation that He is.”

    Pascal’s wager | Definition, Description, C…

    www.britannica.com/topic/Pascals-wager
    "Either God exists, or he does not exist," argued Pascal, "and since neither proposition can be proved, we must wager. If we wager that God exists and we are right, we win everything. If we wager that God exists and we are wrong, we lose nothing." "You would be impudent," Pascal said, "to wager that God does not exist."

    Pascal's Wager - Pleacher

    www.pleacher.com/mp/mfacts/wager.html
  2. People also ask
    What is Pascal's wager?
    Pascal’s Wager differs from these approaches. Instead of focusing on whether it is true or false that God exists, the wager concerns whether belief in God is beneficial, or pragmatic, for the believer. Thus, the Wager is called a “pragmatic” argument, in contrast to what might be called an “evidential” argument.

    Pascal’s Wager: A Pragmatic Argument for Belief in God

    1000wordphilosophy.com
    Is Pascal's wager irrational?
    (ii) According to the many-gods objection, Pascal’s wager begs the question and hence is irrational. It assumes that if God exists then God must take a rather specific form, which few open-minded agnostics would accept.

    Pascal’s Wager about God - Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy

    iep.utm.edu
    Is it possible to take Pascal's wager?
    4. The Irrationality Objection Even if it’s possible to take Pascal’s wager, that doesn’t guarantee that the beliefs formed from wagering would be rational, at least from an evidential point of view. It seems like forming a belief on the basis of a wager would violate evidentialism, the view that we should proportion our beliefs to the evidence.

    Pascal’s Wager: A Pragmatic Argument for Belief in God

    1000wordphilosophy.com
    What are some objections to Pascal's wager?
    Two main objections are often raised to Pascal's Wager. (1) To believe in God simply for the payoff is the wrong motive for belief. Such self-seeking individuals would not properly serve the Deity. (2) In order to be sure of a payoff, an individual would not know which God or gods to believe in to cover the conditions of the wager.

    Pascal's Wager - Lander University

    philosophy.lander.edu
    What does Pascal's 'wager' teach us about moral philosophy?
    It raises subtle issues about the extent to which one’s beliefs can be a matter of the will, and the ethics of belief. Reasoning reminiscent of Pascal’s Wager, often with an explicit acknowledgment of it, also informs a number of debates in moral philosophy, both theoretical and applied.

    Pascal’s Wager - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

    plato.stanford.edu
    Where can I find a book about Pascal's wager?
    Rescher, Nicholas (1985). Pascal's Wager: A Study of Practical Reasoning in Philosophical Theology. University of Notre Dame Press. ISBN 9780268015565. (The first book-length treatment of the Wager in English.) Whyte, Jamie (2004). Crimes against Logic: Exposing the Bogus Arguments of Politicians, Priests, Journalists, and Other Serial Offenders.

    Pascal's wager - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org
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  3. 1000-Word Philosophy: An Introductory Anthology
    https://1000wordphilosophy.com/.../01/0…

    Pascal’s Wager: A Pragmatic Argument for Belief in God

    Jan 4, 2021 · Pascal's wager is a pragmatic approach to the question of whether God exists. It argues that you should believe in God because of the infinite rewards and risks, even if the evidence is uncertain.

  4. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
    https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/pascal-wager

    Pascal’s Wager - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

  5. Goodreads
    https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/255553

    Quote by Blaise Pascal: “Belief is a wise wager. Granted that faith ...

  6. BrainyQuote
    https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/blaise_pascal_159845

    Blaise Pascal - Belief is a wise wager. Granted that faith.

  7. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
    https://iep.utm.edu/pasc-wag

    Pascal’s Wager about God - Internet Encyclopedia of …

    Pascal's Wager is a pragmatic argument for believing in God, based on decision theory and infinite values. The web page explains the argument, its versions, and its criticisms.

  8. Britannica
    https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pasc…

    Pascal’s wager | Definition, Description, Criticisms,

    Pascal’s wager, practical argument for belief in God formulated by French mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal. In his Pensees, Pascal applied game theory to show that belief in the Christian religion is rational. Learn more …

  9. The Philosophers' Magazine Archive
    https://archive.philosophersmag.com/pa…

    Pascal’s Wager - The Philosophers' Magazine Archive

    Pascal’s Wager is one of the great classic arguments for belief in God, and one of the most famous arguments in all of philosophy. Other theological arguments — ontological, cosmological, and teleological — aim to establish that God’s …

  10. YouTube
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb5ihSYPnwg

    Pascal's Wager EXPLAINED | The Pensées by Blaise Pascal

  11. Philosophy Home Page
    https://philosophy.lander.edu/intro/pascal.html

    Pascal's Wager - Lander University

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