Difference between revisions of "Pascal's wager"

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-'''Pascal's Wager''' is a [[philosophy|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.
-==Critical evaluation==
-Pascal's wager as Pascal stated it is flawed within the context of [[Christianity]], because based upon Christian theology, mere belief in God does not ensure [[salvation]].
-Pascal's wager is also not geared for multiple competing god scenarios where various forms or selections of gods are given that may be mutually or partially exclusive.
-[[Category:Philosophy]]
-[[Category:Theology]]

Revision as of 00:34, June 21, 2009