pascal

More MetaphysicsBlaise Pascal

sleepless productions

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what happens if you die in the matrix?why does it matter?


why does it matter?

why does Neo want to know what happens if you

die in the matrix?


what about real life...

• is there anything that changes the way you live?

•we’re going to think about something related to this today...


but first:some words you need to know

• agnostic

• theist

• atheist


Pascal - The Man...•French•1623-1662•Mother died.•bit of a maths geek.•home-schooled by

mathematician father.•contemporary of R

Descartes


there is neither

proof that God does or

does not exist.

so what should we do?

remember the maths...

the the agnostic agnostic is rightis right


believe in God!It still makes sense to believe

in God, and the sensible thing, the maths/logical thing

to do, is to believe.

Can you work out why?


Heaven &

Hell


1. If you believe in God and God does exist, you will be rewarded in the afterlife.

2. If you do not believe in God and God does exist, you will be punished in the

afterlife.3. If God does not exist, nothing will

happen to you in the afterlife whether you believed in him or not.

4. Clearly there is more to gain from believing than not believing in God.

5. Therefore it makes sense to believe in God.

formally:


think another way...• you meet a guy, who says

if you meet him at the police station, he will give you a million pounds

•would you go?

•what happens if you do, if you don’t?

• (assume being at the police station means the guy isn’t going to try and put you in the boot of his car...)


SoThe potential benefits, are much greater than the potential losses.

So you might as well go to the station.

Now make a table for Pascal’s Wager...

Guy turns up with money

Guy is nowhere to be

seenyou believe & go to police

stationYOU’RE RICH you go home

you think crazy & don’t

go...

nothing changes,

you’re guttedyou go home


God is Real/Exists

God does not exist

you believeyou live in paradise(BIG +)

nothing happens(£0.00)

you do not believe

you live in hell(BIG -)

nothing happens(£0.00)

so clearly the only thing to do is to choose between

[BIG + or nothing] or [BIG - or nothing]


problem solved

everyone should believe in God

It’s the sensible thing to do...

NOT AT A

LLand the objections are

easy enough to spot. Give it a go in groups.


why do we believe things

usually?write the question & think

about it...


that’s a problem...

pascal’s reasons to believe are not the usual ‘believing

reasons’

he tells us that the potential gain in happiness is better, but nothing of the likelihood that this happiness will happen...

if i told you it might be good for you to believe something, it doesn’t mean you would...


put simplybelief isn’t about what you would like to be the case,

it’s about what you believe to be the case.

if someone says your parent is in hospital, saying that you don’t want to believe it

doesn’t help much.


you don’t lose?

Pascal says if you spend a devoted life believing and it turns out that God isn’t there, you don’t lose out.

Is this true?


sacrifice servitude abstinence restraint devotionobedienceThis depends what

religion and belief is really all about. could be about the best

way to live... or maybe not...?

if you only live once, you have to decide on the best way to live...


is the real wager

between belief & not?

is it more complicated than that?

what do you believe in?

could you lose if you believe in the wrong thing?

or is God bigger than religion?


Cosmological Argument

perfect answer and some late additions

cosmological cosmological argumentargument


what is the what is the cosmological cosmological argument?argument?

is the is the cosmological cosmological

argument argument convincing?convincing?

conclusconclusionion



1 Everything has a cause1 Everything has a causeII Nothing is its own II Nothing is its own

causecauseIII Chain cannot be III Chain cannot be

infiniteinfiniteIV There must a be first IV There must a be first

causecauseV This is GodV This is God

Who? Thomas Aquinas Who? Thomas Aquinas (Christian)(Christian)

Where? 5 ways, Summa Where? 5 ways, Summa TheoligicaTheoligica

Why? Trying to provide Why? Trying to provide foundation for belief in foundation for belief in

God.God.













God.God.



Other Version: Other Version: KalamKalam

William Lane William Lane CraigCraig













God.God.



yesyes nono















God.God.



yesyes nono





seems to fit with the idea of a finite seems to fit with the idea of a finite universeuniverse

Einstein, HubbleEinstein, HubbleBig bang as caused?Big bang as caused?

some say big bang, but this fits some say big bang, but this fits nicely for Aquinas...nicely for Aquinas...











God.God.



yesyes nono



‘‘schoolboy’ objection, either: p1 & schoolboy’ objection, either: p1 & p4 contradict or: ‘well who made p4 contradict or: ‘well who made

God?’God?’



this is a bad objection...this is a bad objection...p 1-3 describe a problemp 1-3 describe a problem

p4 is like a solution or a tactical p4 is like a solution or a tactical substitutionsubstitution














God.God.



yesyes nono




God?’God?’





this is where Aquinas talks about this is where Aquinas talks about ‘necessary’ and ‘contingent’ beings‘necessary’ and ‘contingent’ beings

definitionsdefinitions

fallacy of composition? fallacy of composition? equivocation?equivocation?

explain both these phrases and explain both these phrases and explain how they apply (Russell)explain how they apply (Russell)





quantum theory• remember we talked

about Professor Hawking

• at an atomic level things do on occasion happen by chance, in fact always

• perhaps this means there didn’t need to be a first cause?

but there was still something...

Ockham’s Razer•William of Ockham

•whatever is the most likely explanation is probably what happened

•what’s more probable?

•Quantum accident or Divine causation?










God.God.



yesyes nono




God?’God?’













Niels Bohr, Quantum TheoryNiels Bohr, Quantum TheoryThings can just appear/happen Things can just appear/happen

at atomic levelat atomic levelWilliam of Ockham, Okham’s RazorWilliam of Ockham, Okham’s RazorPerhaps God is more likely than atomic Perhaps God is more likely than atomic

flukefluke

question of infinity

• just a reminder...

• is an infinite regress really illogical?

• perhaps not, but this moves beyond our reason...










God.God.



yesyes nono




God?’God?’











why exactly does he say that a chain of why exactly does he say that a chain of causes cannot be infinite?causes cannot be infinite?

though counter-intuitive perhaps not though counter-intuitive perhaps not mathematically contradictory mathematically contradictory





flukefluke










God.God.



yesyes nono




God?’God?’















measured measured responseresponse

if universe is within our reason then if universe is within our reason then possiblepossible

inconclusiveinconclusivequantum physics is still quantum physics is still

relatively newrelatively new



flukefluke

cosmologcosmological ical

argumenargumentt









God.God.



yesyes nono




God?’God?’














conclconclusionusionmeasured measured responseresponse

if universe is within our reason then if universe is within our reason then possiblepossible

inconclusiveinconclusivequantum physics is still quantum physics is still

relatively newrelatively new



flukefluke

pascal

Spiritual