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Chapter 5 - Wager with All Your Heart

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2026

Yuval Avnur
Affiliation:
Scripps College, California
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Summary

This chapter applies the Pascalian picture developed in the rest of the book to the famous “wager.” With that background in place, we can see how the wager has been misunderstood, and that the correct interpretation is far more defensible than the standard one. The so-called wager is an argument designed to convince a very particular kind of person – one with only self-interest in their heart – to seek a change of heart. It is a predictable part of Pascal’s general aim in his philosophy, and it doesn’t make the silly mistakes that are often attributed to him. Pascal’s innovations, such as the notion of infinity, the ambiguity of the world, the dependence of reasons on the heart, and corrupting influence of bad desires, are brought to bear on the wager to present a plausible, and less radical picture of the role of belief in Pascal. Topics such as self-deception, alternative conceptions of God, and the benefits of seeking the love of God are addressed throughout.

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  • Wager with All Your Heart
  • Yuval Avnur, Scripps College, California
  • Book: Why Read Pascal Today?
  • Online publication: 26 February 2026
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009321495.006
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  • Wager with All Your Heart
  • Yuval Avnur, Scripps College, California
  • Book: Why Read Pascal Today?
  • Online publication: 26 February 2026
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009321495.006
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Wager with All Your Heart
  • Yuval Avnur, Scripps College, California
  • Book: Why Read Pascal Today?
  • Online publication: 26 February 2026
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009321495.006
Available formats
×