Pascal's Wager

"God is or He is not...Let us weigh the gain and the loss in choosing...'God is.' If you gain, you gain all, if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, unhesitatingly, that He is."

Pascal's Wager

Introduction
Are you a betting person? Would you bet on God or against God? Would you bet that God exists or doesn't? Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) did exactly that, he bet or made a wager on God.

Background
Blaise Pascal was an accomplished French mathematician, scientist, philosopher, and religious writer. His achievements and inventions include: (1) A published essay on conic sections that helped develop differential calculus, (2) at age 18, built the world's first computer. The computer language PASCAL is named in his honor, (3) investigated the problem of the vacuum and then invented the syringe, barometer, and hydraulic press, (4) developed the world's first public transportation system, (5) developed probability theory with Fermat, and (6) authored a religious polemic considered the first great masterpiece of French prose.

The Pensees
Pascal's last and unfinished written work is the Pensees. The Pensees is made up of approximately 1000 fragments largely dealing with philosophic/religious topics. It is clear that this writing is a defense of the Christian religion. The French word pensee means "to think." The title of Pascal's work is translated into English as "Thoughts."

The Wager
What is Pascal's Wager anyway? Pascal's Wager is usually referred to as an argument which requires the one bet on God's existence. Pascal puts it this way in words:

"Let us examine this point and declare: 'Either God exists, or He does not.' To view shall we incline? Reason cannot decide for us one way or the other: we are separated by an infinite gulf. At the extremity of this infinite distance a game is in progress, where either heads or tails may turn up. What will you wager? According to reason you cannot bet either way; according to reason you can defend neither proposition �. 'Both are wrong. The right thing is not to wager at all.' Yes, but a bet must be laid. There is no option: you have joined the game."

Of course, Pascal's Wager is actually a mathematical proof that shows it is wiser to believe in God. Mathematically speaking, Pascal's Wager goes as follows:
Suppose there is a nonzero number e (perhaps extremely small) that is the probability of there being a God. If there is no God, and you believe in God anyway, then, although you will be deluded, and although you may suffer the ridicule of atheists (for nothing), your loss will not be enormous. Let us say that it will not exceed 1 "felz" of happiness. Hence the mathematical expectation of believing in God is at least:

e x 2/e - (1 - e) x 1 = 1 + e

On the other hand, if there is not God and you do not believe in God, you may gain a little but not more than, say, 1 "felz" of happiness. However, if there is a God and you do not choose to believe in Him, then you will not get anything good out of your not believing in Him. The mathematical expectation of not believing in God is thus less than:

(1 - e) x 1 + e x 0 = 1 - e

Since 1+e > 1-e, and since, other things being equal, a wise person will act in such a way as to maximize the expectation of their happiness, it follows that, other things being equal, a wise person will choose to believe in God.

Conclusion
Pascal's Wager is an argument appealing to the mind. If it succeeds then it does so by setting the individual on a path that will make it possible for him/her to recognize God's grace when it is offered.