Pascal's Wager EXPLAINED | The Pensées by Blaise Pascal

Pascal's wager is one of the more scrutinized arguments in philosophy. While there are certainly many critiques you can make about the wager, many have unfortunately missed the point and the larger context.
Pascal's wager is an invitation for those on the fence to want to belief in the Christian God. It is not an argument for the existence of God but rather an argument for one to believe in the existence of God. The wager states that either God exists or God doesn't exist. By choosing to believe in God, one gains eternal life if God does exist. If God doesn't exist, then the only loss would be a change in one's lifestyle, will, and belief system. However, if one chooses not to believe in God and God happens to exist, the consequences are also infinite. Essentially, you are wagering the finite for the infinite.
Many critiques of the wager examine it in isolation, not considering it's context and purpose. For example, one common criticism is that it doesn't explain WHICH religion's God you should worship. Because the wager alone doesn't address the issue of differing religions, many have disregarded it. However, other areas of Pascal's book, The Pensees, complement the wager. For instance, Pascal dedicated specific parts specifically to distinguishing Christianity from other religions.
Ultimately, an analysis of Pascal's wager should include not only it's purpose but should also consider other parts of the Pensees which fill in the gaps left by the wager.
#philosophy #christianity #religion
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