History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps HoP 485 Liz Jackson on Pascal's Wager
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Jan 25, 2026 Liz Jackson, associate professor of philosophy at Saint Louis University who works on philosophy of religion and decision theory, discusses contemporary approaches to Pascal's Wager. She explains the two-by-two wager matrix and how infinities affect expected value. They tackle the many gods objection, paradoxical contrived rewards, distinctions between belief and faith, and hybrid pragmatic-evidential responses.
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Wager As Pragmatic, Not Evidential
- Pascal's Wager doesn't aim to prove God exists but to show you ought to wager on God via cost-benefit reasoning.
- The wager compares belief/not-belief across possible worlds and leverages an infinitely good outcome if belief and God coincide.
Infinity Dominates Finite Alternatives
- The wager's force relies on an infinite utility for believing if God exists, which washes out finite alternatives.
- You don't need a doctrine of hell for the wager to work; any finite non-infinite outcomes suffice.
Wager Connects Many Philosophical Fields
- Pascal's Wager intersects philosophy of religion, epistemology, metaphysics of infinity, and decision theory.
- That cross-disciplinary reach explains why contemporary philosophers continue to engage the wager intensively.
