Pascal's wager

American  

noun

1. the argument put forth by Blaise Pascal that it is in one's best interest to believe in the existence of God, as it is a rational assumption and does no harm, and the possibility of eternal punishment in hell outweighs any advantage of believing otherwise.

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Pascal's wager British  

noun

1. philosophy the argument that it is in one's rational self-interest to act as if God exists, since the infinite punishments of hell, provided they have a positive probability, however small, outweigh any countervailing advantage

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Etymology

Origin of Pascal's wager

First recorded in 1895–1900; named after Pascal, who formulated his proposition in his Pensées ( def. )

Example Sentences

Third, and most importantly, is the logical argument sometimes known as Pascal’s wager.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 11, 2026

The machine was included in Christie's auction of the library of the late Catalonia collector Léon Parcé, which also featured Pascal's philosophical piece Pensées and the first printed version of "Pascal's wager".

From BBC • Nov. 19, 2025

I’ve never really known—I just consider it a Pascal’s wager situation.

From Slate • Jun. 8, 2019

Wilson discusses Pascal’s wager, which contends that — given the risks — believing in God is the only sensible bet.

From Washington Post • Mar. 20, 2018

Pascal’s wager on God’s existence, for example, can be cast as a choice between the relative probabilities and consequences of Type I and Type II errors.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos