Term Paper Philosophy
The topic of religion when talking about philosophy has always been a controversial one. The
biggest reason for this controversy is the question of if, if they exist, if they are good, if it is
worth believing in. Pascals wager brings up some valid and no so valid points when referring to
the pros and cons of believing in a god or religion. But the question is, is devotion to god worth
giving up freedoms we have?
To begin, Blaise Pascal was a 15th century Philosopher, mathematician, physicist, inventor,
writer and Catholic theologian. This being said, Pascal’s wager states that humans bet their with
their lives on whether or not god exists. He then goes on to argue why this can have serious
consequences for those who choose not to believe. For those who choose to believe have very
little to lose if they are proven wrong but for those who do not believe and are proven wrong
have very much to lose. Coming from a mathematician who developed the probability theory,
this gives his claims more of a leg to stand on.
Furthermore, the value of this wager has been questioned, but if one steps back and thinks,
his wager has some serious validity. If one was to read through the bible on which his theory is
based, a lot of how to live and what to do to be welcomed into heaven are very morally sound
and generous things that a community should be prioritizing whether or not they’re religious.
These things include “The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are
