History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps HoP 484 You Bet Your Life: Pascal’s Wager
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Jan 11, 2026 Can faith be a gamble? The discussion dives into Pascal’s Wager, exploring the fascinating idea of betting on belief in God for infinite rewards. A parody of the wager introduces a mischievous deity that flips the stakes. The podcast examines decision theory and the perplexing many-gods problem, alongside the concept of pragmatic religion choice. Concerns about mercenary beliefs surface, while the practicality of fostering faith through acts like attending mass emerges as a compelling argument.
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Bet On Infinite Gain
- Pascal argues it's rational to believe in God because the potential reward is infinite while the cost of belief is negligible.
- He frames this as
Infinity Dominates Expected Value
- Pascal treats expected value as probability times payoff and notes an infinite payoff yields infinite expected value regardless of low probability.
- This mathematical move underpins the core force of the wager.
Wager Opens Door To Perverse Gods
- The infinite-payoff move makes the wager vulnerable to perverse or gerrymandered gods that promise infinite rewards for different behaviors.
- That shows the wager alone can't uniquely favor Christianity.
