Pascal’s Wager: a Reason to Hesitate

Philosophia 50 (5):2743-2750 (2022)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

One version of Pascal’s Wager says we should commit to, or cultivate belief in, whatever religion we think is most likely to bring us eternal joy. I pose a reductio for this version of the Wager. After exploring some ways the Pascalian might respond, the verdict is that it provides some reason to suspect that somewhere, somehow, the Wager goes wrong.

Categories

Keywords

Reprint years

DOI

10.1007/s11406-022-00542-8

Links

PhilArchive

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

My notes

Similar books and articles

Pascal's Wager is a possible bet (but not a very good one): Reply to Harmon Holcomb III.Graham Oppy - 1996 - International Journal for Philosophy of Religion 40 (2):101 - 116.
Salvaging Pascal’s Wager.Elizabeth Jackson & Andrew Rogers - 2019 - Philosophia Christi 21 (1):59-84.
Betting against Pascal's Wager.Gregory Mougin & Elliott Sober - 1994 - Noûs 28 (3):382-395.
Pascal's wager.Michael Rota - 2017 - Philosophy Compass 12 (4):e12404.
The Wager Renewed: Believing in God is Good for You. [REVIEW]Justin P. McBrayer - 2014 - Science, Religion and Culture 1 (3):130.
Pascal's Wager.Alan Hájek - 2008 - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Wagering with and without Pascal.Daniel Collette & Joseph Anderson - 2018 - Res Philosophica 95 (1):95-110.
Pascal’s Wager and the Nature of God.Greg Janzen - 2011 - Sophia 50 (3):331-344.
Pascal’s wager and the origins of decision theory: decision-making by real decision-makers.James Franklin - 2018 - In Paul F. A. Bartha & Lawrence Pasternack (eds.), Pascal’s Wager. New York: Cambridge University Press. pp. 27-44.
Pascal’s Wagers and James’s Will to Believe.Jeff Jordan - 2005 - In William J. Wainwright (ed.), The Oxford handbook of philosophy of religion. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 168-187.
On Rescher on Pascal's Wager.Graham Oppy - 1991 - International Journal for Philosophy of Religion 30 (3):159 - 168.
Two caricatures, I: Pascal's Wager.James Franklin - 1998 - International Journal for Philosophy of Religion 44 (2):109 - 114.
Pascalian Wagering.Thomas V. Morris - 1986 - Canadian Journal of Philosophy 16 (3):437 - 453.
Pascal, Pascalberg, and friends.Samuel Lebens - 2020 - International Journal for Philosophy of Religion 87 (1):109-130.
Mixed strategies can't evade Pascal's Wager.Bradley Monton - 2011 - Analysis 71 (4):642-645.

Analytics

Added to PP
2022-07-01

Downloads
616 (#28,736)

6 months
171 (#18,516)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

Citations of this work

No citations found.

Add more citations

References found in this work

Pensées.B. Pascal - 1670/1995 - Revue Philosophique de la France Et de l'Etranger 60:111-112.
Divine Hiddenness and Human Reason.J. L. Schellenberg - 1993 - Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
Salvaging Pascal’s Wager.Elizabeth Jackson & Andrew Rogers - 2019 - Philosophia Christi 21 (1):59-84.
Divine Hiddenness and Human Reason.Stephen Maitzen & J. L. Schellenberg - 1995 - Philosophical Review 104 (1):153.
Divine Hiddenness and Human Reason.J. L. Schellenberg - 1996 - International Journal for Philosophy of Religion 40 (2):121-124.

View all 7 references / Add more references