Blaise Pascal

Pascal’s Wager is a significant topic concerning the question of God’s existence wherein Blaise Pascal offers a pragmatic reason for believing in God. Pascal implies that we may never know whether or not God exists; however, theists will always have it better than atheists. In addition, Anselm of Canterbury presented the first ontological argument for God’s existence. The…

communities, one of the most recognizable and well known claims are that of Blaise Pascal and his “Wager”. Striking within both minds, the concept was decided by induction and probability, that the best approach when it comes the belief of God, it is to believe in them. However, it can come to be understood that such measures may not always be the most valid conclusion due to an infinite amount of variables. The contribution of Pascal is best understood of using extensive of posteriors of…

In this paper I will explain and critique an argument known as Pascal’s Wager. I will explain the wager Blaise Pascal proposed to incline atheist and agnostics to believe in God. The Wager, “is not a proof of Gods existence” (Furman). I will give Pascal’s reasoning for explaining why choosing to believe in God is the best decision one could make. Pascal’s Wager is an argument given to atheist and agnostics to show them why believing in God’s existence is the right choice. This argument isn't…

Pascal explains that a person should choose to believe in God because they may receive infinite benefits. He does not assume that god exists, but rather asserts that a person should place a bet on his existence. If a person believes in God, and God does exist, they may be infinitely rewarded in the afterlife. But, Pascal also acknowledges that there are drawbacks to believing in god’s existence. Through religious…

In this essay I will be explicating a handful of philosophical theories to determine which one is best. I will analyze the controversies and counter arguments of each theory starting with Pascal’s Wager, followed by the Cosmological Argument, and finally the Argument from Evil. Pascal’s Wager, the belief that people must choose whether or not to bet on God’s existence, is the most sound argument making it superior to the others. Pascal’s Wager begins by examining nature. He argues that “We…

God’s existence, Blaise Pascal, author of “The Wager”, believes that there is a God. However, according to Pascal, a French philosopher, we cannot fully comprehend God. “The Wager”, which includes a psychological argument, consists of individuals who are willing to risk their own lives and bet on the existence of God. Essentially, the argument of this work is between philosophy and faith, disputing that humans cannot come close to reaching the realm of the highest belief. Pascal takes the…

times more likely. That implicitly employs the principle stating that the chances of an event depend of the number of ways in which it can occur. The scientist that could show how to calculate the number of ways in which something can occur was Blaise Pascal. In 1654 he was challenged with the problem if two players who have equal chances to win end the game with one of the players in the lead, what would be the fairest way to divide the pot. Problem like this comes up in any area of life in…

have been many arguments formed throughout the history of philosophy in support of the existence of God. Among these arguments is a unique claim known as Pascal’s Wager. Pascal’s Wager was formulated by the seventeenth century French philosopher Blaise Pascal. Pascal’s Wager is different than other philosophical arguments in the sense that it is not an evidence based argument. Pascal’s Wager is based solely on reason whereas other arguments, such as the teleological argument, are based on…

In his book, ‘Pensées’, Blaise Pascal raises a wager which seeks to prove that it is more rational to believe in God rather than to not believe because you gain more by believing. In this paper, I will provide support to this wager in showing that you acquire a greater reward by believing in God. I will primarily outline Pascal’s Wager, then respond to one criticism raised that attempts to refute premise two (the expected results of belief and disbelief). This criticism states that there are…

In this essay, I will show that Blaise Pascal is wrong to think that it is rational to wager “that God is.” My first step in defending this thesis will be to review Pascal’s argument that it is rational to bet “that God is.” I will then try to undermine his view by showing how it supports implausible claims. For example, the premise of Pascal’s wager assumes that receiving infinite reward in the afterlife rests upon belief in one true God. However, infinite reward in the afterlife may be linked…