Pascal's wager
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Pascal's Wager is a philosophical proposition which takes the following form:
Christianity is either true or false, and a person can either follow it or not follow it.
- If it is false and you do not follow it, you gain the freedom to do whatever you want without penalty.
- If it is true and you do not follow it, you are condemned to an eternity in hell.
- If it is false and you do follow it, you will have wasted part of your life.
- If it is true and you follow it, you will recieve an eternity in heaven.
Blaise Pascal reasoned that, given the relative gains and losses for each scenario, the only sensible course for a rational human being was to follow Christianity.