Pascal's Wager
Infinite gain gamble
Pascal's Wager is a philosophical argument that believing in God is the rational bet: if God exists, believers gain eternal reward while nonbelievers suffer eternal loss; if God doesn't exist, believers lose little.
The argument, from 17th-century mathematician Blaise Pascal, treats faith as a calculated gamble rather than a matter of evidence.
Critics note it assumes a specific God and that belief can be willed.
He converted not out of conviction but Pascal's Wager—hedging his bets just in case.
Existence beyond mortality
- salvationDeliverance from harm
- heavenSky or bliss
- hellUnderworld of suffering
- eternityBoundless temporal existence
faith · soul · redemption · sin · grace · repentance · damnation · immortality
Trust without proof
- doubtLack of firm belief
- skepticismDisposition toward doubt
- convictionFirmly held belief
- certaintyTotal absence of doubt
agnosticism · credulity · commitment · trust · assurance · credence · persuasion
Risked stake on outcome
- stakesPosts or wagers
- oddsLikelihood expressed numerically
- riskPossibility of harm
- chanceLikelihood of occurrence
gamble · payoff · all-in · winning · losing · betting · ante · high-stakes
Quantified chance of occurrence
- pragmatismPractical problem-solving philosophy
- epistemologyTheory of knowledge
- logicScience of valid reasoning
- reasoningDrawing logical conclusions
inference · judgment · consequence · trade-off · strategy · hedging · uncertainty
afterlife
Existence beyond mortality
eternity · faith · soul · redemption · sin · grace · repentance · damnation · immortality · resurrection
faith
Trust without proof
- doubtLack of firm belief
- skepticismDisposition toward doubt
- convictionFirmly held belief
certainty · agnosticism · credulity · commitment · trust · assurance · credence · persuasion
bet
Risked stake on outcome
chance · gamble · payoff · all-in · winning · losing · betting · ante · high-stakes · speculation
probability
Quantified chance of occurrence
- pragmatismPractical problem-solving philosophy
- epistemologyTheory of knowledge
- logicScience of valid reasoning
reasoning · inference · judgment · consequence · trade-off · strategy · hedging · uncertainty
Pascal's Wagerscientific skepticism
Evidence-demanding epistemological stance
Pascal's Wagerproblem of evil
Why omnipotent goodness allows suffering