Taking Pascal S Wager

Author : Michael Rota
Publisher : InterVarsity Press
Page : 254 pages
File Size : 55,8 Mb
Release : 2016-04-21
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780830899999

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Taking Pascal's Wager by Michael Rota Pdf

WORLD Magazine’s Best Books of 2016 Short List Christianity Today's 2017 Book of the Year Award of Merit - Apologetics/Evangelism Since we can't know with absolute certainty that God exists, each of us in a sense makes a bet. If we believe in God and are right, the benefits include eternal life. If we are wrong, the downside is limited. On the other hand, we might not believe in God. If we are right, then we will have lived in line with reality. If we are wrong, however, the consequences could be eternally disastrous. This was the challenge posed by the French philosopher Blaise Pascal over three hundred years ago. But Michael Rota contends that Pascal's argument is still compelling today. Since there is much to gain (for ourselves as well as for others) and relatively little to lose, the wise decision is to seek a relationship with God and live a Christian life. Rota considers Pascal's wager and the roles of uncertainty, evidence and faith in making a commitment to God. By engaging with themes such as decision theory, the fine-tuning of the universe, divine hiddenness, the problem of evil, the historicity of the resurrection and the nature of miracles, he probes the many dynamics at work in embracing the Christian faith. In addition, Rota takes a turn not found in many books of philosophy. He looks at the actual effects of such a commitment in three recent, vivid, gripping examples—Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Jean Vanier and Immaculée Ilibagiza. Like Pascal, Rota leaves us with a question: What wager will we make?

Author : Jeff Jordan
Publisher : Oxford University Press on Demand
Page : 240 pages
File Size : 41,6 Mb
Release : 2006-10-26
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9780199291328

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Pascal's Wager by Jeff Jordan Pdf

What if there is no strong evidence that God exists? Is belief in God when faced with a lack of evidence illegitimate and improper? Evidentialism answers yes. According to Evidentialism, it is impermissible to believe any proposition lacking adequate evidence. And if any thesis enjoys the status of a dogma among philosophers, it is Evidentialism. Presenting a direct challenge to Evidentialism are pragmatic arguments for theism, which are designed to support belief in the absenceof adequate evidence. Pascal's Wager is the most prominent theistic pragmatic argument, and issues in epistemology, the ethics of belief, and decision theory, as well as philosophical theology, all intersect at the Wager. Other prominent theistic pragmatic arguments include William James'scelebrated essay, 'The Will to Believe'; a posthumously published and largely ignored pragmatic argument authored by J.S. Mill, supporting the propriety of hoping that quasi-theism is true; the eighteenth-century Scottish essayist James Beattie's argument that the consoling benefit of theistic belief is so great that theistic belief is permissible even when one thinks that the existence of God is less likely than not; and an argument championed by the nineteenth-century French philosopher JulesLachelier, which based its case for theistic belief on the empirical benefits of believing as a theist, even if theism was very probably false.In Pascal's Wager: Pragmatic Arguments and Belief in God, Jeff Jordan explores various theistic pragmatic arguments, and the objections employed against them. Jordan presents a new version of the Wager, what he calls the 'Jamesian Wager', and argues that the Jamesian Wager survives the objections hurled against theistic pragmatic arguments and provides strong support for theistic belief. In addition to arguing for a sound version of the Wager, Jordan also argues that there is aversion of Evidentialism compatible with a principled use of pragmatic arguments, and that the Argument from Divine Silence fails. Objections found in Voltaire, Hume, and Nietzsche against the Wager are scrutinized, as are objections issued by Richard Swinburne, Richard Gale, and other contemporary philosophers.The ethics of belief, the many-gods objection, the problem of infinite utilities, and the propriety of a hope based acceptance are also examined.

Author : Nancy Rue
Publisher : Multnomah
Page : 306 pages
File Size : 53,9 Mb
Release : 2001-08-09
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 9781576738269

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Pascal's Wager by Nancy Rue Pdf

Confirmed atheist Jill McGavock faces the mental deterioration of her brilliant mother. In a quest to cope with this devastating situation, Jill seeks out philosophy professor Sam Hunt. Savvy Sam challenges Jill to make "Pascal's wager" -- to "bet" that God exists by acting as if he does. The results not only change Jill's mind but transform her life in ways she never could have imagined. An exciting, faith-building thriller!

Author : Jeff Jordan
Publisher : Rl Innactive Titles
Page : 180 pages
File Size : 41,8 Mb
Release : 1994
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 0847678334

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Gambling on God by Jeff Jordan Pdf

Gambling on God brings together a superb collection of new and classic essays that provide the first sustained analysis of Pascal's Wager and the idea of an infinite utility as well as the first in-depth look at moral objections to the Wager.

Author : Peter Kreeft
Publisher : Ignatius Press
Page : 350 pages
File Size : 43,7 Mb
Release : 2015-03-20
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781681496535

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Christianity for Modern Pagans by Peter Kreeft Pdf

Peter Kreeft believes that Blaise Pascal is the first post-medieval apologist. No writer in history, claims Kreeft, is a more effective Christian apologist and evangelist to today's uprooted, confused, secularized pagans (inside and outside the Church) than Pascal. He was a brilliant man--a great scientist who did major work in physics and mathematics, as well as an inventor--whom Kreeft thinks was three centuries ahead of his time. His apologetics found in his Pens褳 are ideal for the modern, sophisticated skeptic. Kreeft has selected the parts of Pascal's Pens褳 which best respond to the needs of modern man, and offers his own comments on applying Pascal's wisdom to today's problems. Addressed to modern skeptics and unbelievers, as well as to modern Christians for apologetics and self-examination, Pascal and Kreeft combine to provide a powerful witness to Christian truth.

Author : Paul Bartha,Lawrence Pasternack
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 347 pages
File Size : 45,9 Mb
Release : 2018-10-18
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781107181434

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Pascal's Wager by Paul Bartha,Lawrence Pasternack Pdf

Presents a comprehensive examination of Pascal's Wager, its underlying theology, philosophical influence, and role in contemporary decision theory.

Author : James A. Connor
Publisher : Harper Collins
Page : 310 pages
File Size : 48,9 Mb
Release : 2009-10-21
Category : History
ISBN : 9780061989810

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Pascal's Wager by James A. Connor Pdf

“Pascal’s Wager is a splendid read. Connor [...] a historian who understands religion and science equally [...] keeps us turning the page.” — Michael Gurian, author of The Minds of Boys “James Connor gives a racy account of a remarkable man [...] in a book that is a fascinating read.” — Rev. Dr. John Polkinghorne, author of Quarks Chaos & Christianity “A compelling and readable study of one of the most influential thinkers in religious history.” — Publishers Weekly “Jim Connor is a gifted, talented man of letters...” — Malachy McCourt, author of A Monk Swimming “Bet on reading Connor’s fascinating chronicle and you can’t go wrong!” — Paul Halpern, author of Brave New Universe

Author : Blaise Pascal
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 230 pages
File Size : 54,5 Mb
Release : 2013-08-20
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 9781627933643

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Pascal's Pensees by Blaise Pascal Pdf

This collection chronicles the fiction and non fiction classics by the greatest writers the world has ever known. The inclusion of both popular as well as overlooked pieces is pivotal to providing a broad and representative collection of classic works.

Author : Nicholas Rescher
Publisher : University of Notre Dame Press
Page : 176 pages
File Size : 55,9 Mb
Release : 1985
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : UOM:39015011697425

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Pascal's Wager by Nicholas Rescher Pdf

Author : Paul J. Griffiths
Publisher : CUA Press
Page : 262 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 2021-05-07
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780813233840

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Why Read Pascal? by Paul J. Griffiths Pdf

Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) is known in the English-speaking world principally for the wager (an argument that it is rational to do what will affect belief in God and irrational not to), and, more generally, for the Pensées, a collection of philosophical and theological fragments of unusual emotional and intellectual intensity collected and published after his death. He thought and wrote, however, about much more than this: mathematics; physics; grace, freedom, and predestination; the nature of the church; the Christian life; what it is to write and read; the order of things; the nature and purpose of human life; and more. He was among the polymaths of the seventeenth century, and among the principal apologists of his time for the Catholic faith, against both its Protestant opponents and its secular critics. Why Read Pascal? engages all the major topics of Pascal's theological and philosophical writing. It provides discussion of Pascal's literary style, his linked understandings of knowledge and of the various orders of things, his anthropology (with special attention to his presentation of affliction, death, and boredom), his politics, and his understanding of the relation between Christianity and Judaism. Pascal emerges as a literary stylist of a high order, a witty and polemical writer (never have the Jesuits been more thoroughly eviscerated), and, perhaps above all else, as someone concerned to show to Christianity's cultured despisers that the fabric of their own lives implies the truth of Christianity if only they can be brought to look at what their lives are like. Why Read Pascal? is the first book in English in a generation to engage all the principal themes in Pascal's theology and philosophy. The book takes Pascal seriously as an interlocutor and as a contributor of continuing relevance to Catholic thought; but it also offers criticisms of some among the positions he takes, showing, in doing so, how lively his writing remains for us now.

Author : Thomas S. Hibbs
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 45,9 Mb
Release : 2017
Category : Apologetics
ISBN : 1481306383

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Wagering on an Ironic God by Thomas S. Hibbs Pdf

Pascal thus wagers all on the irony of a God who both startles and astonishes wisdom's true lovers.

Author : Mark Lau Branson,Alan J. Roxburgh
Publisher : Wipf and Stock Publishers
Page : 221 pages
File Size : 40,6 Mb
Release : 2021-02-16
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781725271753

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Leadership, God’s Agency, and Disruptions by Mark Lau Branson,Alan J. Roxburgh Pdf

Leaders in congregations and Christian organizations wrestle with an unraveling of the world in which they have little experience and training. While they are offered unending resources by experts on leadership, some with claims to biblical blueprints, the challenges seem mismatched to those methods. Branson and Roxburgh frame the situation as one in which "modernity's wager"--the conviction that God is not necessary for life and wisdom and meaning--has defined the Western imagination. Because churches and leaders are colonized by this ethos, even when God is named and beliefs are claimed, approaches to leadership are blind to God's agency. Branson and Roxburgh approach this challenge as a work in practical theology, attending to our cultural context, narratives of God's disruptive initiatives in Scripture, and a reshaping of leadership theories with a priority on God's agency. With years of experience as teachers, consultants, and guides, they name practices which lead to more faithful participation. Leadership, God's Agency, and Disruption is wide-ranging in cultural and biblical scholarship, challenging in its engagement with numerous leadership studies, and practical with its focus toward the on-the-ground life of churches and organizations.

Author : Paul Tobin
Publisher : New Generation Publishing
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 54,7 Mb
Release : 2009
Category : Atheism
ISBN : 0755204611

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The Rejection of Pascal's Wager by Paul Tobin Pdf

Armed with the results of critical historical research and a mind free from the shackles of dogma, Paul Tobin dissects the Bible and the historical Jesus in a way only a sceptic can. Tobin shows the bible, with its numerous contradictions, historical errors and scientific inaccuracies, cannot be considered inerrant. He guides us through the intricacies of modern archaeology and comparative mythology, showing us that the much told stories in the Bible - Adam and Eve, Noah and Moses - are myths, invented by the ancient Hebrews under the influence of Babylonian beliefs. He demonstrates that the gospels, far from being eye-witness accounts, were written by authors unknown to us and were composed many decades after Jesus' death. He reveals that the stories regarding Jesus in the gospels are a combination of historical memory, legendary development and mythical fabrication. With the field of biblical scholarship increasingly packed with evangelicals - where the results of "research" are always in line with traditional church teachings - this book fills an important gap in the literature on Christianity and the Bible.

Author : William Wainwright
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 562 pages
File Size : 51,6 Mb
Release : 2004-12-16
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780198031581

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The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Religion by William Wainwright Pdf

The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Religion contains newly commissioned chapters by 21 prominent experts who cover the field in a comprehensive but accessible manner. Each chapter is expository, critical, and representative of a distinctive viewpoint.

Author : Blaise Pascal
Publisher : Penguin UK
Page : 716 pages
File Size : 42,5 Mb
Release : 1995-12
Category : Literary Collections
ISBN : 9780140446456

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Pens閑s by Blaise Pascal Pdf

Blaise Pascal, the precociously brilliant contemporary of Descartes, was a gifted mathematician and physicist, but it is his unfinished apologia for the Christian religion upon which his reputation now rests. The Penseés is a collection of philosohical fragments, notes and essays in which Pascal explores the contradictions of human nature in pscyhological, social, metaphysical and - above all - theological terms. Mankind emerges from Pascal's analysis as a wretched and desolate creature within an impersonal universe, but who can be transformed through faith in God's grace. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.