Title
Pascal's First Wager Reconsidered: A Virtue Theoretic View
Department/School
Philosophy
Date
2006
Document Type
Article
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5840/ipq200646154
Abstract
There are at least two versions of the famous Wager argument to be found in Pascal’s Pensées. In contemporary work on the Wager, attention is almost always focused on the second. In this paper, we take a look at the first, which is often quickly dismissed as a failure. Indeed, it seems to be generally believed that Pascal himself quickly dismissed it as a failure. We fi rst argue that Pascal himself accepted the argument. Then we argue (more importantly) that those who accept a virtue theoretic account of human flourishing ought to agree with Pascal in accepting the argument.
Volume
46
Issue
1
Published in
International Philosophical Quarterly
COinS
Citation/Other Information
Toner, Patrick, and Christopher H. Toner. "Pascal's First Wager Reconsidered: A Virtue Theoretic View." International Philosophical Quarterly 46, no. 1 (2006): 75-90. https://doi.org/10.5840/ipq200646154