[Home]Pascals wager/Talk

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I think there are serious problems with the main page. There's almost no attempt to outline the wager as Pascal presents it, and some of the refutations seem to be written about an abbreviated and inaccurate version of the wager. For example Pascal clearly thinks that there are measurable costs to belief in God, but that there are also measurable gains in this life, and immeasurable gains to be paid out if it turns out that is such a thing as the afterlife.

Beyond that, I think very few people think that Pascal intended for the Wager to be separated from the wider context of the Penses. This means that we should mention something about it's context. Anyway, I'm removing the line about "measurable costs," and will do so again, until it is presented as a refutation of what Pascal actually says. MRC


But the term "Pascal's wager" refers to the idea, not just to Pascal's particular use of it. It's a term of art, like "Epiminedes paradox". The source of the name is interesting and should be mentioned, but that is merely one aspect of the idea, and there are other aspects of the idea that should be covered as well, whether or not Pascal originated or was even aware of them. Hence the reference to Hinuism, etc. Perhaps the comment could be better worded, for example: In addition to the false dichotomy problem, many arguments along these lines also fail because they totally ignore the costs of belief or actions required to reach the reward; Pascal himself understood this, and argued that the costs of belief during one's life were more than balanced by benefits apart from the final reward.


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Last edited September 26, 2001 4:41 am by Lee Daniel Crocker (diff)
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