Wednesday Wisdom

An Eternal Wager

Who, Qui

Blaise Pascal was a French mathematician, physicist, and philosopher who lived in the 17th century. He is best known for his contributions to the fields of probability theory and calculus. As an inventor and entrepreneur, he built the first mass-produced mechanical calculator known as the Pascaline. Pascal also made important contributions to the study of fluids, atmospheric pressure, and the properties of vacuums. As a devout Christian, he wrote extensively on religious and philosophical topics while applying the logic of math and science.

What, Que

Pascal died in 1662 and his book Pensees (Thoughts) was published posthumously.  Throughout the book, he defends Christianity, the Catholic church, and the existence of God as well as criticizing Skepticism. The Skeptics questioned the reliability of reason and the possibility of knowledge from it. Pascal rationally and logically argued how faith and reason could lead greater understanding of the world.

According to legend, Blaise Pascal was walking home one night when he was encountered by the devil. According to the story, the devil, challenged him to prove the existence of God. Pascal responded by saying that the glory of God is evident in the beauty and order of the natural world, to which the devil replied that he could create a world just as beautiful and ordered without God. Pascal then responded by saying that the devil could create such a world, but he could not create a soul to appreciate it, which is evidence of God's existence. This story has been passed on to illustrate Pascal's faith and his skill in logical argumentation

2023: Why should you care?

Blaise Pascal's most famous philosophical argument is known as Pascal's Wager. He logically argues that even if there is no proof of God's existence, it is in a person's best interest to believe in God. Pascal calculates the return of eternal happiness in heaven for an investment in belief outweighs the potential costs of disbelief and the potential for eternal damnation.

Venture capital is an investment in early-stage companies with the potential for substantial return as the company grows and matures. Pascal, like a venture capitalist investor, believes the small investment of time and energy could lead to a 100x return of eternal happiness.

Seems like a sound bet...

And now you know

Philosophy is the art of thinking, the building block of progress that shapes critical thinking across economics, ethics, religion, and science.

LOGIC: The study of reasoning. Much like metaphysics, understanding logic helps to understand and appreciate how we perceive the rest of our world. More than that, it provides a foundation for which to build and interpret arguments and analyses.