1. Pascal says that reason alone cannot prove the existence of God,
nor the non-existence of God. What reasons does he give for thinking
this?
2. Pascal believes that one must choose to believe that God exists
or choose to believe that God does not exist. This seems to rule
out the position of the agnostic who claims to believe neither. Do
you think Pascal is right that one cannot be an agnostic? Why?/Why
not?
3. Pascal says that if you wager that God does exist and are right,
you reap an infinite gain, but if you are wrong, you lose nothing.
Do you agree with his cost-benefit analysis? In particular, do you
think one loses nothing if one wagers that God exists and it turns out
you are wrong?
4. Pascal says that the odds that God exists and that God does not
exist are equal. Does this seem right? What if Pascal is wrong
and the odds are tilted towards the non-existence of God; would this be
a problem for Pascal's argument?
5. Pascal considers people who agree with his reasoning, but who find
it very difficult to convince themselves to believe in God. They
may even be trying to believe it and just cannot keep from having doubts.
What is Pascal's advice to such a person?
6. Could other religions make an argument similar to Pascal's on behalf
of their religion? If so, what effect does this have on Pascal's
argument? If not, why not?
7. What do you think Clifford's opinion of Pascal's wager would be?