Pascal's wager
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Pascal's Wager is a philosophical proposition which takes the following form:
God either exists or not.
- If God does not exist and you do not not believe in God, you gain nothing and lose nothing.
- If God does exist and you do not believe in God, you are condemned to hell for eternity; infinite loss.
- If God does not exist and you do believe in God, you gain nothing and lose nothing.
- If God does exist and you do believe in God, you will receive an eternity in heaven; infinite gain.
Blaise Pascal reasoned that, given the relative gains and losses for each scenario, the only sensible course for a rational human being was to believe in God since the potentially infinite gains and losses which occur if God exists outweigh any possible loss in a finite situation if God does not exist. This is true regardless of what probability one assigns to God's existence as long as some possibility is assigned.