Pascal's Wager
Blaise
Pascal (1623-1662) was a French philosopher, mathematician, physicist and a gambler that was fond of high stakes...his soul. His wager basically states that there are two choices we can make, and two possible outcomes of that choice.First, we can choose a virtuous life, or a sinful one. The advantage of a sinful life is immediate pleasure, with a possible cost of eternal punishment. A virtuous life lacks some of the pleasures available in a mortal existence, but has a possible eternal reward.
Then we add the two possibilities: God exists, or He does not. There are four possible outcomes: If we are virtuous, and God exists to reward that virtue, we receive infinite reward. If God does not exist, then our only rewards are whatever we receive on Earth. However your value the inherent pleasures of virtue or of sin, neither is infinite. If we lead a sinful life, and God exists and chooses to punish that sin, we receive infinite punishment. Viewed in this light, the finite pleasures of sin balanced against infinite punishment are a poor choice.
So for the wager:
Belief + God = Win
Belief w/out God = null
Sin w/out God = null
Sin + God = Loss
For
Pascal, the only way to win is to believe in God and live accordingly.The only way to lose is to not believe.
Now, for me, I can't imagine that God is terribly pleased by people that
find themselves at the pearly gates, pump a fist in the air, and yell 'KaCHING!
Time for the payoff, baby.' True belief is not a matter of simple choice, no
matter how compelling the math may be. If the only reason one is attending
church is that it seems safer than a pool hall, one has to believe that God will
see thru such a stance. Bedrock, personal, core beliefs are not produced by
simply weighing the pros and cons of doctrine, dogma versus the convenience of
locally held services. Anyone that maintains that they just chose their
religion, in much the manner one would choose a school elective, might want to
consider the strength and depth of their own belief. If it is such a light
matter to so choose, maybe they could try believing in The Invisible Pink
Unicorn for a day.
Pascal
is also operating with rather arrogant hindsight. His approach assumes that if there is a God, there is only one God, and only one religion, one standard of virtue to follow in living for that God. His wager does not consider the consequences of choosing a belief system that it was not the most correct system in the eyes of the Creator.A more objective point of view finds that
Pascal's math is equally valid for any of the following >1000 religions, sects, denominations, cults and guesses about 'WHY ARE WE HERE?' in their interpretation of Reality::Native American Tradition-