Philosophy
The French philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal was a true genius, and much of what he wrote in his famous Pensées has become greatly influential in modern philosophy, especially as it relates to questions of existentialism, phenomenology and human psychology. Here is a nice and short discussion of Pascal's philosophical insights, from Philosophy Bites:
Unfortunately, Pascal's fame outside of philosophical and mathematical circles seems to have become relegated to his wager: the idea that believing in God is the logical consequence of rational self-interest.
There are many problems with the argument, but one quick way to understand them is by considering its logical implications (as Edward Current did in this amusing video clip), or by arbitrarily changing its already arbitrary starting conditions, as David Mitchell does in the following clip:
Fortunately, some versions of Pascal's wager do have practical applications :)
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Philosophy
Pascal's Wager for Atheists
Unfortunately, Pascal's fame outside of philosophical and mathematical circles seems to have become relegated to his wager: the idea that believing in God is the logical consequence of rational self-interest.
There are many problems with the argument, but one quick way to understand them is by considering its logical implications (as Edward Current did in this amusing video clip), or by arbitrarily changing its already arbitrary starting conditions, as David Mitchell does in the following clip:
Fortunately, some versions of Pascal's wager do have practical applications :)
.
- French Enlightenment
.In the 18th century there were marked changes in the thought and philosophy of European people. The Enlightenment writers believed that they were casting off the age-old shackles of ignorance and authority, and were entering an epoch enlightened by science,...
- Pascal's Wager - Betting On Infinity
Blaise Pascal is, in my mind at least, almost always a mixed bag. Many of the thoughts he expressed in his appropriately titled book, Pensées, are decidedly parochial and antiquated, but for all that, it's also quite impressive to see how far ahead...
- If Richard Dawkins Died And Met His Maker...
Religious apologists have a long history of using the idea of death-bed conversions by skeptics as proof that God is real. Apparently, if you're afraid of one thing, that proves the existence of some other thing. One of the most often cited such conversions...
- Peter Singer Vs John Lennox - Is There A God?
Most public academic debates concerning the existence of God tend to feature religious apologists who propose sophisticated philosophical arguments for the existence of a supernatural or transcendent Being. Here is where we're exposed to things like...
- "fate/luck" Poll
Do you believe in fate or luck? Yes...0 No...2 Maybe...3 If you are having a streak of good luck, you don't want to rock the boat and express disbelief...kind of like Pascal's Wager. Sometimes you are in the right place at the right time and...