Pascal’s wager is an argument that asserts that one should believe in God, even if God’s existence cannot be proved or disproved through reason.

Blaise Pascal’s original wager was as a fairly short paragraph in Pensées amongst several other notes that could be considered “wagers”. Its argument is rooted in game theory and that the best course of action is to believe in God regardless of any lack of evidence, because that option gives the biggest potential gains. Pascal’s original text is long-winded and written in somewhat convoluted philosophy-speak, but it can be distilled more simply:

If you believe in God and God does exist, you will be rewarded with eternal life in heaven: thus an infinite gain.

If you do not believe in God and God does exist, you will be condemned to remain in hell forever: thus an infinite loss.

If you believe in God and God does not exist, you will not be rewarded: thus an insignificant loss.

If you do not believe in God and God does not exist, you will not be rewarded, but you have lived your own life: thus an insignificant gain.

https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Pascal%27s_wager

http://www.atheistrepublic.com/blog/lee-myers/pascals-wager

Pascal’s Wager

In the seventeenth century the mathematician Blaise Pascal formulated his infamous pragmatic argument for belief in God in Pensées. The argument runs as follows:

If you erroneously believe in God, you lose nothing (assuming that death is the absolute end), whereas if you correctly believe in God, you gain everything (eternal bliss). But if you correctly disbelieve in God, you gain nothing (death ends all), whereas if you erroneously disbelieve in God, you lose everything (eternal damnation).

https://infidels.org/library/modern/theism/wager.html

Pascal’s Wager: Expanded Edition

I don’t know how I missed this before, but it’s awesome. Whenever we talk about Pascal’s Wager, it’s always a bet between christians and atheists. But what about all those other religions? Where do they fit in?

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2013/09/23/pascals-wager-expanded-edition/

The Empty Wager - Sam Harris

https://www.samharris.org/blog/item/the-empty-wager

Debunking Pascal’s Wager

wikiHow to Refute Pascal’s Wager

Pascal’s Wager has been one of the most frequently used arguments in favor of religious belief. Many theists have used it, to their knowledge or not. However it’s far from impeccable. Consequently it can be refuted by following the steps below.

https://www.wikihow.com/Refute-Pascal%27s-Wager

Religion Refuted

http://religionrefuted.com/pascals-wager/

CrashCourse: Indiana Jones & Pascal’s Wager: Crash Course Philosophy #15

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S93jMOqF-oE

DarkMatter2525: What If You’re Wrong?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GScdUIYXglA

Matt Dillahunty: Atheist Debates - Pascal’s Wager

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBCDGohZT70

CosmicSkeptic: Pascal’s Wager Debunked - (Arguments For God Episode #2)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKzqQ-IVxGs

TheraminTrees: The Death of Pascal’s Wager, betting on infinity

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZpJ7yUPwdU

AwkwardBible: Pascal’s Wager - What is there to lose?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlmQKwSC6Vk

Atheist Experience

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8BXyZXDqlI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ARJlp7nCAg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqHVqsDZgJ4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlIymF6Fx6c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7V4Bl_gs3Lo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-OUVSHEzRU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeTt0GrBcCs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZog2_w9L9o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohTeSduhlkI

Holy Koolaid: Isn’t Atheism Risky? What if you’re wrong? (PASCAL’S WAGER) - Sapient Saturdays

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfKDyHHUauM

Hemant Mehta - The Atheist Voice

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrH-Vi34SN4

Milwaukee Atheists: Pascal’s Wager

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Xw-wTBy4Qw

JaclynGlenn: Pascal’s Wager

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w497__kp28I

Rationality Rules: Pascal’s Wager - Debunked (Blaise Pascal Refuted)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afQ9zMWR7Ag

Genetically Modified Skeptic: What You Lose by Being Religious | An Atheist’s Response to Pascal’s Wager

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZklIM43axlQ

That Atheist Guy: Christian Arguments: Pascal’s Wager

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hwh8K6MEz30

Rachel Oates: Updating Pascal’s Wager

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7h8vz_f-Ms

BionicDance: Pascal’s Wager? Really?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5f8D9A5dByw

Understanding (and Refuting) the Arguments for God

http://bigthink.com/21st-century-spirituality/understanding-and-refuting-the-arguments-for-god

Pascal’s Wager Revisited By John W. Loftus

http://www.debunking-christianity.com/2008/07/pascals-wager-revisited.html

http://www.debunking-christianity.com/2006/03/pascals-wager-assorted-quotations.html

https://scepticalprophet.wordpress.com/2012/11/06/debunking-pascals-wager/

Argument # 9: The Pascal’s Wager Argument

http://www.debunkingskeptics.com/DebunkingChristians/Page13.htm

Don’t bet on Pascal’s wager

Pascal only pretended to be a gambling man.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/one-among-many/201112/don-t-bet-pascal-s-wager

Christopher Hitchens

Pascal’s wager = religious hucksterism

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X94YffpUryo

Hitchslap 14 - Pascal’s wager is a con

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WG__0_zSW0o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbrpR7gVbeQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLw7lgmR0M0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_e2j5eLLiM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4bVoxH21pw

Richard Dawkins on Pascal’s Wager

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyjUoDFnaBk

Noel Plum: Religion Rebutted #1 Pascal’s Wager

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jfQneB-sTs

CrocodileGandhi1: Pascal’s Wager

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rasnP3pMzk

The Drunken Philosopher: A Gambler’s Take On Pascal’s Wager

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvDkqI1WESI

Pascal’s Wager Refuted - Theodore M. Drange

https://infidels.org/library/modern/theodore_drange/wager.html

Pascal’s Problem: A Mathematical Disproof of Pascal’s Wager

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/crossexamined/2016/12/pascals-problem-mathematical-disproof-pascals-wager/

The Faulty Nature of Pascal’s Wager

https://evidencebasedatheism.wordpress.com/2015/07/15/the-faulty-nature-of-pascals-wager/

An updated Pascal’s Wager: Just as bad as the old one

https://whyevolutionistrue.wordpress.com/2015/10/01/an-updated-pascals-wager-just-as-bad-as-the-old-one/

Pascal’s wager doesn’t suck, it’s popularity supports atheism.

http://www.rationalresponders.com/forum/sapient/atheist_vs_theist/8754

Refuting popular arguments for gods

https://ffrf.org/legacy/books/lfif/?t=refute

http://www.religioustolerance.org/pascal_w.htm

RS 190 - Amanda Askell on “Pascal’s Wager and other low risks with high stakes”

http://rationallyspeakingpodcast.org/show/rs-190-amanda-askell-on-pascals-wager-and-other-low-risks-wi.html

Pascal’s Wager is Safer in Reverse

Picking a Religion is Dangerous Business - By Vexen Crabtree

http://www.vexen.co.uk/religion/godisdangerous.html

Further Education

https://www.princeton.edu/~grosen/puc/phi203/Pascal.html

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/pascal-wager/

http://philosophy.lander.edu/ethics/notes-pascal.html

http://www.stat.ucla.edu/history/pascal_wager.pdf

https://www3.nd.edu/~jspeaks/courses/mcgill/201/pascal-wager.html

https://www.scribd.com/document/261770055/Pascal-s-Wager-and-the-Many-Gods-Objection

https://www.calvin.edu/academic/philosophy/virtual_library/articles/kreeft_peter/the_argument_from_pascal%27s_wager.pdf

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More Research:

The Burden of Proof and the religious shifting of it. A negative proof, universal negative, and the logical fallacy of appealing to ignorance. You cannot prove a negative? Not so fast. Proving A Negative.

http://tmblr.co/ZTwOHx1oTcGfK

Exposing the Logical Fallacy: The god of the Gaps (Didit Fallacy, ‘God Did It,’ Goddidit, Golden Hammer, Argument From Ignorance, Argument From Incredulity, Ad Hoc, Informal Fallacy, Divine Fallacy, Non Sequitur)

https://tmblr.co/ZTwOHx2Rz-iqC

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http://tmblr.co/ZTwOHx1INFgyd

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