Skip to main content
Free carbon-neutral shipping over $39.99  ·  Thousands of books on sale — sale ends soon

Pascal's Wager (9781316632659)

by Paul Bartha, Lawrence Pasternack

Cambridge University Press

Paperback/Science 346 pages English Sep 30, 2018

(No reviews yet) Write a Review
Millions of titlesEvery book you're looking for
Carbon-neutral shippingFree on orders over $39.99
Fast shipping worldwideDelivered to your door
In his famous Wager, Blaise Pascal (1623-62) offers the reader an argument that it is rational to strive to believe in God. Philosophical debates about this classic argument have continued until our own times. This volume provides a comprehensive examination of Pascal's Wager, including its theological framework, its place in the history of philosophy, and its importance to contemporary decision theory. The volume starts with a valuable primer on infinity and decision theory for students and non-specialists. A sequence of chapters then examines topics including the Wager's underlying theology, its influence on later philosophical figures, and contemporary analyses of the Wager including Alan Hájek's challenge to its validity, the many gods objection, and the ethics of belief. The final five chapters explore various ways in which the Wager has inspired contemporary decision theory, including questions related to infinite utility, imprecise probabilities, and infinitesimals.
Author:
Paul Bartha, Lawrence Pasternack
Publisher:
Cambridge University Press
Publication Date:
Sep 30, 2018
Number of pages:
346 pages
Language:
English
Binding:
Paperback/Science
ISBN-10:
1316632652
ISBN-13:
9781316632659