The Wager

The Wager, from philosopher Blaise Pascal, is a pragmatic argument that considers belief in God as a bet. Since God's existence cannot be definitively proven or disproven, Pascal suggests that it’s rational to "wager" on God's existence. If God exists, the potential eternal reward (heaven) outweighs the finite loss of worldly pleasures or skepticism. If God doesn't exist, one loses little by believing. Essentially, it's a logical cost-benefit analysis: believing in God is a sensible ‘bet’ because the potential gain is infinite, and the potential loss is finite.