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

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

It’s sort of like Pascal’s wager, right?

From Slate

If there is no chance that God exists, Pascal’s wager—as it came to be known—makes no sense.

From Literature

You write about a concept you call “‘Oumuamua’s wager,” after Pascal’s wager, 17th-century mathematician Blaise Pascal’s argument that the benefits of assuming God exists outweigh the drawbacks.

From Scientific American

Pandemic Earlier this week, I kept on bringing up Pascal’s Wager: it’s better to slightly over-react in your preparations and precautions.

From The Verge