Taking Pascal's Wager

Since we can’t know with absolute certainty that God exists, each of us in a sense makes a bet. If we believe in God and are right, the benefits include eternal life. If we are wrong, the downside is limited.

On the other hand, we might not believe in God. If we are right, then we will have lived in line with reality. If we are wrong, however, the consequences could be eternally disastrous.

This was the challenge posed by the French philosopher Blaise Pascal over 300 years ago. But Michael Rota contends that Pascal’s argument is still compelling today. Since there is much to gain (for ourselves as well as for others) and relatively little to lose, the wise decision is to seek a relationship with God and live a Christian life.

Roti considers Pascal’s wager and the roles of uncertainty, evidence and faith in making a commitment to God. By engaging with themes such as decision theory, the fine-tuning of the universe, divine hiddenness, the problem of evil, the history of the resurrection and the nature of miracles, he probes the many dynamics at work in embracing the Christian faith.

Like Pascal, Rota leaves us with a question: What wager will we make?