Why am I seeing Pascal's Wager everywhere I look when I look at atheistic websites and blogs? The way people represent this argument, you'd think Pascal could barely count to 10. No offense, but most of you are no Voltaire (who, incidentally, sucked at math) and chances are that had you lived during Pascal's time and gotten a chance to debate with him, he would have easily eaten most of you for a lite midnight snack.
Blaise Pascal was a prodigy, incredible mathematician, philosopher, physicist, pre-computer scientist, inventor, and writer. He was led to religious conversion after having a mystical experience while recovering from a major accident. Together with a shittty childhood and chronic physical pain, a wonderful gift to someone at the onset of adulthood, he apparently needed emotional support and comfort that this Hell on Earth of a life wouldn't be his last. Besides, my bet is that the accident caused some mild, self-repairable brain damage, which would help explain his newfound crankiness.
Now to the Wager. Having read part of Pensées, including the pertinent part, I tend to side with those theists who contend that Pascal's Wager was not intended to be a serious argument either proving the existence of God or persuading hardcore atheists to do a 180° and go nail themselves to an inverted cross like St. Peter. Pascal just wanted to nudge fence-sitters over to his side of the fence. If true, then any and all attempts by hardcore atheists to refute this argument are missing the point and taking potshots (although, he sorta did have it coming) at a dead man.
Here's an idea. Debate me! Why not? It's not like you'll fail to deconvert me, so what do you have to lose, other than the debate? I will pretend to be Alvin Plantinga or maybe Paul Tillich if you prefer, you can pretend to be someone like Joseph McCabe or Baron d'Holbach, and we can debate any topic under the Son. Just tell me when and where and I'm there. I'll even type with one hand if that makes you feel better. Not much of a change there, anyways.
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Mon, 2006-08-28 14:29
Why do people spend so much time refuting it? Probably because we hear some sort of variation of the Wager all the damn time. Of course, Pascal can't really be blamed if legions of idiots think that this minor idea of his is the Best. Apologetics. Evar.
Tue, 2006-08-29 11:54
My bestest friend in the whole wide world growing up remains a Christian to this day, albeit, a very liberal one. A couple of years ago, I decided to ask him about his then current religious beliefs and to explain why I no longer have any. It quickly turned into a debate and I shot down everything he threw at me in short order, often relying on stock answers that most atheists use in this kind of situation. I began to feel guilty for not having to think for myself, even though I felt confident in my stock answers.
After several exchanges, he got ANGRY with me and we agreed to call it a day. However, a month or so later I received an email from him that ended with him telling me that I'm foolish for not believing in God's existence because [insert Pascal's Wager]. What's interesting is that my friend has almost certainly never heard of Pascal's Wager, unless his preacher told him to repeat it to me, which I doubt my friend would do given his dislike of authority. I tend to think a more likely scenario is that my friend actually reinvented Pascal's argument in a simpler, but basically identical form.
I'm sure this isn't the first time something like this has happened and I think it says a lot about someone who uses it, namely, that the person is desperate to hold onto his or her traditional beliefs. My friend has given up almost every Christian belief, but he refuses to give up belief in God's existence.