Summary: Pascal Wager, Essay Example

This article attempts to shed light as to whether faith and reason conflict. It starts by denoting that nothing is infinite.  The presence of an infinite wipes out the essence of the finite by reducing it to nothing e.g. our spirit before god and our justice before divine justice (God’s justice must be as vast as his compassion). Every finite number is either odd or even, addition of which may yield an infinite number, yet addition of a unit can yield zero to its nature. So we can conclude that god exists devoid of knowledge as to what he is i.e. zero factual truth.

We are aware that finite exists and has extensions just like us, and that infinite also exists and has extensions but no limits like us. But we are not sure of God’s existence or his nature since he has neither extensions nor limits. It is only by faith that we know God exists. This implies that we can as well know the existence of something without knowing its nature. If God exists, devoid of neither parts nor limits, he has zero affinity to us and hence incomprehensible. This explains why Christians are unable to justify their belief, as they cannot provide reasons (proofs) for their belief. This excuses those who offer Christianity and relieves them of the blame for putting it forward without reason, but doesn’t excuse its recipients. This raises the question as to whether “God is, or He is not.” It is absolutely impossible to apply reason in an effort to decide unto which side one will incline himself or herself to, and this necessitates wagering. This also implies that one cannot be criticized for the choices that they made.

Having no choice but to wager, an individual has to opt for what interests him/her considering the potential gains and losses. By wagering God is, one can gain everything and loose nothing. However, one should be keen not to wager so much to avoid imprudence i.e. one should only wager under necessity and play when appropriate. In this case, one has an infinitely happy life to gain and a finite number of chances of loss and hence attractive.

By applying reason, we see that risking is certain but the potential gain is uncertain, and hence what is staked (finite good) is the opportunity cost of the uncertain infinite (potential gain). This introduces an element of certainty of infinity regarding the certainty of loss and of the potential gain. The uncertainty of potential gain and loss is proportionate to each other. When finite is staked in a game where risks of gain equal those of loss plus the infinite to gain, one should apply an infinite force. Up to this point, it is still hard to decide unto which side one can incline himself to, and reason doesn’t seem to yield tangible fruits.

One should learn his/her inability to believe and endeavor to convince oneself by not seeking proofs of god, but by abating one’s passions. To cure the unbelief, one should attain faith. One can do this by seeking guidance from those who have been in similar situation and who now risk losing their possessions. This people knows what is appropriate for one to follow and one should follow steps on how they began; by acting in a manner suggesting that they belief, having masses said, taking the holy water etc. though might be afraid of taking this bold step, it is the only way to lessen one’s passions that are his/her stumbling blocks.

By opting for this side, one will be truthful, friendly, generous, grateful, humble, honest, and faithful. One will lose harmful pleasures, luxury and glory. This implies that one will obviously gain in this life, and will realize great certainty of gain rendering what he risks insignificant. One recognizes that he have wagered for something infinite and certain, for which he staked nothing.

This particular case shows that reason conflicts with faith, forcing one to wager.