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Pascal's wager is a philosophical argument advanced by Blaise Pascal (1623–1662), seventeenth-century French mathematician, philosopher, physicist, and theologian. [1] This argument posits that individuals essentially engage in a life-defining gamble regarding the belief in the existence of God .
Blaise Pascal [a] (19 June 1623 – 19 August 1662) was a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, philosopher, and Catholic writer.. Pascal was a child prodigy who was educated by his father, a tax collector in Rouen.
Second edition of Blaise Pascal's Pensées, 1670. The Pensées (Thoughts) is a collection of fragments written by the French 17th-century philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal. Pascal's religious conversion led him into a life of asceticism, and the Pensées was in many ways his life's work. [1]
The great thinker’s turn toward the theological has lessons for us even today.
Blaise Pascal approached pessimism from a Christian perspective. He is noted for publishing the Pensées, a pessimistic series of aphorisms with the intention to highlight the misery of the human condition and turn people towards the salvation of the Catholic Church and God. [30] [31]
Blaise Pascal. Another form of fideism is assumed by Pascal's Wager, which is a rational argument for a pragmatic view of God's existence. [14] Blaise Pascal invites the atheist considering faith to see faith in God as a cost-free choice that carries a potential reward. [15]
In the letters, Pascal's tone combines the fervor of a convert with the wit and polish of a man of the world. Their style meant that, quite apart from their religious influence, the Provincial Letters were popular as a literary work. Adding to that popularity was Pascal's use of humor, mockery, and satire in his arguments.
For Pascal, Schopenhauer and Cabrera, the need for entertainment or diversion is a constant element in human life — without which existence reveals itself to us as hollow and devoid of value. Blaise Pascal, Arthur Schopenhauer and Julio Cabrera sustain that mere existence itself lacks intrinsic value. [35] [57] [50]: §146