Pascal Argues That If We Do a Cost-Benefit Analysis of the Matter

question 5

True/False

Pascal argues that if we do a cost-benefit analysis of the matter, it turns out that it is eminently reasonable to get ourselves to believe that God exists, regardless of whether we have good evidence for that belief. The argument goes something like this: Regarding the proposition "God exists," reason is neutral. It can neither prove nor disprove it. But we must make a choice on this matter because not to choose for God is in effect to choose against God and lose the possible benefits that belief would bring. Because these benefits of faith promise to be infinite and the loss equally infinite, we must take a gamble on faith.
-Pascal considers the possibility that nothing people do or believe matters because they are predestined by God to go to heaven or hell.

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Definitions:

Natural Phenomena

Events or observable occurrences in the natural world, not produced by humans, that can be explained through scientific investigation.

Natural Science

The branch of science concerned with the description, prediction, and understanding of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation.

Human Society

A structured community of people bound together by cultural similarities, social relations, or other shared attributes.

Scientific Thinking

A cognitive approach that employs skepticism, objectivity, and evidence-based analysis in understanding natural phenomena.