Pascal's Wager Classic Philosophical Arguments Series

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.

Introduction Paul Bartha and Lawrence Pasternack; Part I. Historical Context and Influence: 1. Pascal's Wager and the origins of decision theory: decision-making by real decision-makers James Franklin; 2. The Wager and Pascal's theology William Wood; 3. Pascal's Wager and the ethics for inquiry about God Paul Moser; 4. Pascal and his Wager in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries Adam Buben; 5. The Wager and William James Jeff Jordan; Part II. Assessment: 6. The (in)validity of Pascal's Wager Alan Hájek; 7. The many gods objection to Pascal's Wager: a defeat, then a resurrection Craig Duncan; 8. The Wager as decision under ignorance: decision-theoretic responses to the many gods objection Lawrence Pasternack; 9. Rationality and the Wager Paul Saka; 10. The role of Pascal's Wager in authentic religious commitment Joshua Golding; Part III. Extensions: 11. The arbitrary prudentialism of Pascal's Wager and how to overcome it by using game theory Elliott Sober; 12. Pascal's Wager and the dynamics of rational deliberation Paul Bartha; 13. Infinity in Pascal's Wager Graham Oppy; 14. Pascal's Wager and imprecise probability Susanna Rinard; 15. Do infinitesimal probabilities neutralize the infinite utility in Pascal's Wager? Sylvia Wenmackers.

Paul Bartha is Professor and Head of the Department of Philosophy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. He is the author of By Parallel Reasoning: The Construction and Evaluation of Analogical Arguments (2010).
Lawrence Pasternack is Professor of Philosophy at Oklahoma State University. His publications include Routledge Philosophy Guidebook to Kant on Religion within the Boundaries of Mere Reason (2013).