PHL 101

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Recommended: Pascals wager vs. descartes quandary

1. Pascal’s wager is the name given to an argument that was present by Blaise Pascal who was a French mathematician, physicist, and philosopher. Pascal had a strong belief for God’s existence. The argument hypothesizes and attempts to prove that there is more to be obtained from venturing on the existence of God rather than the rejection of the existence of God. Pascal’s wager states that man loses nothing in believing in God instead of reason through a game of chance. “You must either believe of not believe that God is – which will you do?” (Bailey, 99). Here, Pascal argues that reason and intellect cannot decide the question of whether God exists or not. Therefore, it makes logical sense to choose the option that would benefit us most even if it were considered to be right. Pascal states four options: one may live a religious and moral life and be rewarded by eternal happiness; one may live a pleasure – seeking life and be denied eternal happiness; one may live a holy live but there is actually no God or eternal life; and one may live a pleasure-seeking but it makes no difference because there is no God. The first of these options is the most important one because it represents the maximum gain and loss. If the turn out proves that there is no God, then the sheer risk of deciding against such a possibility warrants that we should take that option (99).
2. “They are measured by his willingness to act. The maximum of liveness in a hypothesis, means willingness to act irrevocably. Practically, that means belief; but there is some believing tendency wherever there is willingness to act at all” (Bailey 98). This argument means that belief is the core of this genuine option whether it can be proved or not. James defends his position...

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...hich I perceived by the senses are the same. Descartes concludes that our senses allow us to know the accidental properties of wax. The wax itself – the thing that exists throughout the changes – the wax as a substance, is not something I know by senses. Rather, by mind or intellect. This means that everything we see and touch is most directly grasped by the mind. The mind is needed to perceive anything. So it really isn’t so strange that the mind should be better known that ordinary physical things. On the contrary, intellect may be in error. Maybe there is no wax itself, no substance “out there.” But that just goes to reiterate that my mind must exist, forever if I am in error, it is that my or I is in error. In conclusion, there is nothing better known to me than one’s own mind. Certainly not body or sense organs or the attributes perceived by them (Bailey 127).

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