Is Pascal’s Wager only for the logically challanged when offered as justification to beleive in one religion?
Blaise Pascal was a mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer and Catholic philosopher. And his achievements were many. However, his so-called “wager” isn’t considered reasonable by many. His wager was that even though the existence of God cannot be determined through reason, you should behave as though God exists, because then if He does exist you gain after death, and if He doesn’t you lose nothing. The problem with such a wager is that it is purely mathematical and treats the topic as a game of chance. Unfortunately, even then it doesn’t take account of the many religions, sects and cults, nor the innumerable gods and goddesses that are and have been believed in. Voltaire is quoted as describing the wager as “indecent and childish… the interest I have to believe a thing is no proof that such a thing exists.” I think you’ll find that this is the only one of his many ideas with which he is associated in this section. It doesn’t detract from his real accomplishments.
