RT Review
T1 Pascal's Wager: Pragmatic Arguments and Belief in God. By Jeff Jordan
JF The journal of theological studies
VO 58
IS 2
SP 791
OP 792
A1 Gould, Graham
LA English
YR 2007
UL https://ixtheo.de/Record/1783721995
AB This study focuses mainly on two forms of Pascal's Wager, which Jordan refers to as the ‘canonical’ and the ‘Jamesian’ versions. The canonical version, so called because it is the form of the Wager most commonly analysed by philosophers, argues that Christian theism should be chosen ahead of atheism because of the potentially infinite utility of belief in God, which, if true, leads to eternal life. The Jamesian Wager, so called after William James, by contrast, includes the proposition that belief in God has this-wordly as well as other-wordly benefits (both to the individual and to society). Jamesian belief thus offers a better outcome than its rivals in all situations, even should belief in God turn out to be false.
K1 Rezension
DO 10.1093/jts/flm104