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Pascal's Wager: The Man Who Played Dice with God
In a major biography of Blaise Pascal, James Connor explores both the intellectual giant whose theory of probability paved the way for modernity and the devout religious mystic who dared apply probability to faith. A child prodigy, Pascal made essential additions to Descartes's work at age sixteen. By age nineteen, he had invented the world's first mechanical calculator. But despite his immense contributions to modern science and mathematical thinking, it is Pascal's wager with God that set him apart from his peers as a man fully engaged with both religious and scientific pursuits. One night in 1654, Pascal had a visit from God, a mystical experience that changed his life. Struggling to explain God's existence to others, Pascal dared to apply his mathematical work to religious faith, playing dice with he argued for the existence of God, basing his position not on rigorous logical principles as did Aquinas or Anselm of Canterbury, but on outcomes—his famous wager. By applying to the existence of God the same rules that governed the existence and position of the universe itself, Pascal sounded the death knell for medieval "certainties" and paved the way for modern thinking.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2006
33 people are currently reading
270 people want to read
About the author
James A. Connor
11 books19 followersJames A. Connor is the author of Kepler's Witch: An Astronomer's Discovery of Cosmic Order Amid Religious War, Political Intrigue, and the Heresy Trial of His Mother and Silent Fire: Bringing the Spirituality of Silence to Everyday Life. A former Jesuit priest, Connor is professor of English at Kean University in Union, New Jersey; he has also held teaching posts at St. Louis University and Gonzaga University. He is a director of studies at the Lessing Institute in Prague. He holds degrees in geoscience, philosophy, theology, and creative writing, and a Ph.D. in literature and science. He is a prize-winning essayist published widely in such places as American Book Review, Traditional Home, Willow Springs, The Critic, The Iowa Review, and The Iowa Journal of Literary Studies.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
December 5, 2024
Pascal’s Wager
Blaise Pascal - image from Lapham's Quarterly
The point of the book seems to be to describe life in the 17th century in western Europe. There is very much in here about warring Christian sects. Jansenists (anti-science), Thomism (from Thomas Aquinas, seeing God in all things), Augustinians (who think people are basically corrupt). Pascal was a sickly child, whose mother died when he was quite young. He was raised by his father, a fellow who did his best to climb socially and economically, and who moved the family from the 17th century boonies to Paris in quest of such elevation. He did succeed to a degree. It was clear early on that Pascal was an intellectual prodigy. Dad also wanted his son to benefit from exposure to some of the better minds, to be found in the nation’s capital.
The mid 1600’s was a time of intense religious fervor and conflict. Pascal was significantly affected by this environment. One of his sisters even became a nun. In fact, although he is remembered for his scientific work, he was quite religious and wrote significant religious treatises.
James A. O'Connor - image from his site
Pascal’s “wager” is a bit of logic concerning the benefits and disbenefits of believing in God. Although it is a famous item, I find the logic of Pascal’s wager massively narrow and flawed, riddled with unproven assumptions, and ultimately, of little real value. Sorry, Blaise.
The book was generally a very accessible read, offering a window into a time about which few of us have much knowledge. Definitely worthwhile for the intellectual stimulation of incorporating new knowledge, notions about gambling and class, the dialogue between belief and unbelief, a possible root for the contemporary notion of freedom.
Blaise Pascal - image from Lapham's Quarterly
The point of the book seems to be to describe life in the 17th century in western Europe. There is very much in here about warring Christian sects. Jansenists (anti-science), Thomism (from Thomas Aquinas, seeing God in all things), Augustinians (who think people are basically corrupt). Pascal was a sickly child, whose mother died when he was quite young. He was raised by his father, a fellow who did his best to climb socially and economically, and who moved the family from the 17th century boonies to Paris in quest of such elevation. He did succeed to a degree. It was clear early on that Pascal was an intellectual prodigy. Dad also wanted his son to benefit from exposure to some of the better minds, to be found in the nation’s capital.
The mid 1600’s was a time of intense religious fervor and conflict. Pascal was significantly affected by this environment. One of his sisters even became a nun. In fact, although he is remembered for his scientific work, he was quite religious and wrote significant religious treatises.
James A. O'Connor - image from his site
Pascal’s “wager” is a bit of logic concerning the benefits and disbenefits of believing in God. Although it is a famous item, I find the logic of Pascal’s wager massively narrow and flawed, riddled with unproven assumptions, and ultimately, of little real value. Sorry, Blaise.
The book was generally a very accessible read, offering a window into a time about which few of us have much knowledge. Definitely worthwhile for the intellectual stimulation of incorporating new knowledge, notions about gambling and class, the dialogue between belief and unbelief, a possible root for the contemporary notion of freedom.
May 9, 2017
Brilliant introduction to the life and times of a 17th Century French philosopher, mathematician and scientist. Amazingly, it is written by a Jesuit. Jesuits were the bane of Pascal's existence. The Society of Jesus and the Jansenists were locked in a death struggle in early modern France. Politics, theology and science all intertwined in a death grip. Connor does a beautiful job showing the individual strands and connecting them in a coherent and understandable manner. He is fair and perceptive and writes wonderfully about difficult topics. This is a must read.
February 5, 2017
This is not really a book about Pascal's Wager, so much as it's a book about Blaise Pascal. It was particularly interesting to read this while The Three Musketeers was fresh in my mind, as the two overlap in time, with Cardinal Richelieu, Louis XIII (who was apparently homosexual) and Anne of Austria being prominent figures in both.
Anyway, this book considers Pascal's life from birth to death. It considers his rational and scientific research, and the varying success thereof, both as it relates to contemporary times and as it related to the time in which he lived. It also considers the religious atmosphere of seventeenth century France. I found Jansenism, and consequently Augustinism, as rather frightening extremes of Catholic belief. I was highly amused at the way the Catholic Church wiggled around the question of heresy, as declaring Jansenism heretical really is the same as declaring Augustinism heretical. But questions of Catholic belief are not relevant here.
What is relevant is that Pascal subscribed to Jansenism. Somehow, from that religious standpoint he formulated his well-known wager. Connor makes the point that the wager is only really useful in the context of the 'rules' of the 'game' in which it was made, which I found very interesting. What I particularly found interesting is that considering Augustinist, and consequently Jansenist, belief in efficacious grace, the wager should never have been made. Which brings up the question of what Pascal actually believed, as opposed to what he thought he believed.
This is a fascinating biography of a remarkable man - both in terms of science and theology and in terms of the relationship between them in the seventeenth century. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in these subjects.
Anyway, this book considers Pascal's life from birth to death. It considers his rational and scientific research, and the varying success thereof, both as it relates to contemporary times and as it related to the time in which he lived. It also considers the religious atmosphere of seventeenth century France. I found Jansenism, and consequently Augustinism, as rather frightening extremes of Catholic belief. I was highly amused at the way the Catholic Church wiggled around the question of heresy, as declaring Jansenism heretical really is the same as declaring Augustinism heretical. But questions of Catholic belief are not relevant here.
What is relevant is that Pascal subscribed to Jansenism. Somehow, from that religious standpoint he formulated his well-known wager. Connor makes the point that the wager is only really useful in the context of the 'rules' of the 'game' in which it was made, which I found very interesting. What I particularly found interesting is that considering Augustinist, and consequently Jansenist, belief in efficacious grace, the wager should never have been made. Which brings up the question of what Pascal actually believed, as opposed to what he thought he believed.
This is a fascinating biography of a remarkable man - both in terms of science and theology and in terms of the relationship between them in the seventeenth century. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in these subjects.
August 15, 2019
A revolutionary mathematician known for creating the field of probability theory along with Pierre de Fermat. Applying probability to religion in a logical sense is what Pascal's Wager is all about. Pascal wagered the benefits of believing in God is far greater than not believing in God. If there is a God and you believe you gain eternity in heaven. If there is no God and you believe what do you gain, nothing but you also loose nothing. In a way this is what made me want to invest, the benefits tremendously outweigh the negatives.
January 5, 2026
Enjoyed this book. Brought up some good ideas to think about regarding, free will, pre-destination, living in the world vs. retreating from it, and also better explained Pascal’s Wager in one chapter (contextualizes it).
Quick read overall.
Quick read overall.
August 4, 2018
This book was a winner that came up while I was scanning books as a volunteer at our local library book sale. I knew of Pascal's Wager and knew of Pascal's Triangle but that was it. Really, the wager played a pretty small part in this book and probably in all of Pascal's work as a scientist and apologist for a conservative type of Christianity called Jansenism. Connor spends quite a bit of time on Pascal's vacuum experiments which I found hard to follow or to be very interested in. The whole idea that science could challenge a long standing philosophical idea that nature abhors a vacuum was interesting. Also that Pascal interest in science was a threat to his salvation according to the Jansenists.
I appreciated reading about the political climate of the day under the authority of the cardinals (Cardinal Richelieu) and the Louis's XIII and XIV. The Jesuits look good in this book by an ex-Jesuit and the Jansenists look like extremists.
Connor uses Blaise Pascal's sister's writings as a source but does not put them directly in the notes so what we are reading is third hand. He does concede that they make the family look good.
What a time of heretic hunting and disease and early deaths. Pascal was only 39 when he died after a lifetime of poor health.
I am pleased when a book sends me to do more research. I needed to be reminded of how Pascal's Triangle worked even though I have taught it many times. I want to find out why a computer language is named after him. I found a very interesting review which was quite critical of Connor's perspective written by Christopher Beiting, Associate Professor of History at Holy Cross College in South Bend, Indiana in New Oxford Review.
I appreciated reading about the political climate of the day under the authority of the cardinals (Cardinal Richelieu) and the Louis's XIII and XIV. The Jesuits look good in this book by an ex-Jesuit and the Jansenists look like extremists.
Connor uses Blaise Pascal's sister's writings as a source but does not put them directly in the notes so what we are reading is third hand. He does concede that they make the family look good.
What a time of heretic hunting and disease and early deaths. Pascal was only 39 when he died after a lifetime of poor health.
I am pleased when a book sends me to do more research. I needed to be reminded of how Pascal's Triangle worked even though I have taught it many times. I want to find out why a computer language is named after him. I found a very interesting review which was quite critical of Connor's perspective written by Christopher Beiting, Associate Professor of History at Holy Cross College in South Bend, Indiana in New Oxford Review.
June 7, 2021
Overall, I enjoyed it. The writing was lovely and engaging. If you are interested in French history before the Revolution this gives great detail of a specific portion of that society. Not coming from a Catholic background I learned much about the religious politics of the time and how it has carried over into today's Western society. My critique was the last chapter which seemed mostly like a recap.
July 21, 2022
This is biography of Pascal (only one chapter is dedicated to Pascal's Wager) and most of the book concentrates on his religious philosophy and many trends within Catholic church that tried to reconcile scientific discovery with religious doctrine. Unless you are interested in theology I would not recommend this book.
April 21, 2024
Think of this as a short and easy-to-read biography of Pascal rather than a deep dive on his philosophy or apologetic approach.
This was a great supplement to my reading Pensees (as well as Peter Kreeft’s commentary in Christianity for Modern Paganism). Discussion of Jesuit / Jansenist dispute was helpful and interesting. (Has the Jesuit movement of the Counter-Reformation come to define the essence of modern Catholicism? Are Protestants the true heirs of Augustinianism?)
This was a great supplement to my reading Pensees (as well as Peter Kreeft’s commentary in Christianity for Modern Paganism). Discussion of Jesuit / Jansenist dispute was helpful and interesting. (Has the Jesuit movement of the Counter-Reformation come to define the essence of modern Catholicism? Are Protestants the true heirs of Augustinianism?)
July 12, 2020
There is one chapter on Pascal’s Wager - this is in fact a brief biography but very good.
July 6, 2022
Very fun read as it held many interesting facts about the development of Pascal's fields of mathematics and physics. Definitely was fun to learn from.
March 7, 2025
This is far from the point of the book, but each chapter ending feels a bit like being strung along - “Tune in next time to see why this information is actually important!” etc - perhaps due to the author's urge to sensationalize. Otherwise, a digestible biography.
January 3, 2017
Based on the title of this book, you may be tempted into thinking that this is an examination of Pascal's Wager... it is not. Instead, it is a short biography on Pascal himself and briefly touches on some of his more notable contributions to science and mathematics.
Personally, I'm not a huge fan of biographies as a genre, but this one was accessible to a lay reader and was fairly concise while still giving a flavor of what it meant to live in France during this time. If you already know a lot about Pascal, you probably won't gain much from this telling, but it is a decent primer.
The author made a point to remain fairly unbiased towards Pascal's religious proclivities, but I have a hunch that the book would've had a bit more depth if he had volunteered some of his own opinions on Jansenism.
A few gems:
"All our dignity then, consists in thought. By it we must elevate ourselves, and not by space and time which we cannot fill. Let us endeavor then, to think well; this is the principle of morality." -Blaise Pascal, Pensees
"When the rules of civilization crumble, even for a short time, what is left is the mob. The populace takes on a new personality, darker than its everyday personality, driven more by paranoia than by reason, or even by self-interest." - James A. Connor, page 115
"But the soul finds more bitterness in the disciplines of holiness than in the futilities of the world. On the one hand, the presence of visible things seems more powerful than the hope of the things unseen; on the other hand, the permanence of things unseen moves it more than does the frivolity of visible things. And thus, the presence of the one and the constancy of the other fight for the soul's affection..." -Blaise Pascal
"And so, in a big enough universe, anything can happen. The only problem for really improbably things is whether the universe is big enough. And with a big enough universe, say some, you don't need anything else. [...] Of course, the old rhetorical project lurks behind the big numbers. Why have a God when you can have googolplexes? With big enough numbers anything can happen." - James A. Connor, page 215-216
Personally, I'm not a huge fan of biographies as a genre, but this one was accessible to a lay reader and was fairly concise while still giving a flavor of what it meant to live in France during this time. If you already know a lot about Pascal, you probably won't gain much from this telling, but it is a decent primer.
The author made a point to remain fairly unbiased towards Pascal's religious proclivities, but I have a hunch that the book would've had a bit more depth if he had volunteered some of his own opinions on Jansenism.
A few gems:
"All our dignity then, consists in thought. By it we must elevate ourselves, and not by space and time which we cannot fill. Let us endeavor then, to think well; this is the principle of morality." -Blaise Pascal, Pensees
"When the rules of civilization crumble, even for a short time, what is left is the mob. The populace takes on a new personality, darker than its everyday personality, driven more by paranoia than by reason, or even by self-interest." - James A. Connor, page 115
"But the soul finds more bitterness in the disciplines of holiness than in the futilities of the world. On the one hand, the presence of visible things seems more powerful than the hope of the things unseen; on the other hand, the permanence of things unseen moves it more than does the frivolity of visible things. And thus, the presence of the one and the constancy of the other fight for the soul's affection..." -Blaise Pascal
"And so, in a big enough universe, anything can happen. The only problem for really improbably things is whether the universe is big enough. And with a big enough universe, say some, you don't need anything else. [...] Of course, the old rhetorical project lurks behind the big numbers. Why have a God when you can have googolplexes? With big enough numbers anything can happen." - James A. Connor, page 215-216
January 1, 2011
A recent visit to the library reminded me that I haven't been reading many biographies lately. Having read a number of books dealing with game theory and decision theory, Pascal's name was on my mind and when I saw this book I picked it up. James Connor looks at the life of Blaise Pascal through the lens of theology in his book, Pascal's Wager: The Man Who Played Dice With God. Pascal, who only lived to 39, is widely known for his mathematical work in probability theory. He is less widely known for his work proving the existence of a vacuum and inventing one of the earliest calculators as well as creating one of the world's first public transportation systems. With such a short life and so many accomplishments I was surprised to learn that during the last seven years of his life, he almost completely renounced his work in science as the result of a religious experience he called his "night of fire."
read more at ....
http://books.mydevnotes.com/archive/2...
read more at ....
http://books.mydevnotes.com/archive/2...
October 23, 2013
Fairly decent, short biography of Blaise Pascal.
It was interesting to learn more about this famous French scientist and philosopher, someone I actually knew very little about. Although his life was short and plagued by illness, Pascal contributed much to science with his major influence in the development of the of the mathematical theory of probabilities and to theology with his defenses of belief in God and the Christian faith. Pascal was a Jansenist and near the end of his life experienced a very life-changing conversion experience. Whether he truly put his trust in Christ alone for salvation or not, only God knows.
The author writes in a brisk style and sprinkles humor throughout, making the reading experience more enjoyable. I did find of the seemingly never ending details of the theological/political fights of Pascal's era to get tiresome at times.
It was interesting to learn more about this famous French scientist and philosopher, someone I actually knew very little about. Although his life was short and plagued by illness, Pascal contributed much to science with his major influence in the development of the of the mathematical theory of probabilities and to theology with his defenses of belief in God and the Christian faith. Pascal was a Jansenist and near the end of his life experienced a very life-changing conversion experience. Whether he truly put his trust in Christ alone for salvation or not, only God knows.
The author writes in a brisk style and sprinkles humor throughout, making the reading experience more enjoyable. I did find of the seemingly never ending details of the theological/political fights of Pascal's era to get tiresome at times.
November 24, 2007
A fair book, if a little dry. Pascal's Wager (which is a reasoning method whereby it "seems" to pay to believe wholeheartedly in God) has always vexed me as a religious argument, so it was intriguing to read about the man behind teh "argument." As I suspected, he was insane, but at the same time a very interesting man, and far more important scientifically than I had thought. So, all in all, a winner of a book for me.
May 23, 2008
This is a biography of arguably one of the greatest mathematicians, Blaise Pascal. I am recommending this book to high school students because it gives the struggles and triumphs that Blaise went through as he was creating mathematics. It gives insights in how Pascal overcame some of his struggles and hopefully this will provide help to any struggling math student. In addition, a book that can provide a parallel between history and math, in my opinion, is a good book to read.
January 24, 2008
I am admittedly obsessed with Blaise Pascal. Not in a creepy way, but because he gave so much to so many. I enjoyed this biography because I felt I was rubbing shoulders with this man in his own world. The perspective is interesting, as the author is a former Jesuit priest himself, but I didn't think that took anything away from the book. LOVED IT!
August 25, 2011
A former Jesuit priest tells the story of Blaise Pascal's life and major works - those on vacuum, the invention of the first computer, the invention of the science of probabilities, which lead him to his famous wager. This smacked too much of a religious apologist, but given the context of Pascal's life, which I didn't know about, it would make sense. All in all, though, I didn't like it.
February 28, 2010
Not really a biography of Pascal as much as a description of his times. The author is something of a theologian and is clearly drawn to that topic, religious history, etc. Even so, interesting stuff and good writing.
July 16, 2009
Good book about Pascal. Not a complete biography by any means, but it does touch some of the highlights of his life. Clear and understandable even to someone like me with no background in math, science, or philosophy.
December 8, 2012
This was a fairly interesting book. I didn't know very much about Pascal. I'm always interested to read about the religious views of scientists and mathematicians. It's worth a read if you're interested in the history of math.
Currently reading
January 10, 2008Just started this. I have a bad track record with biographies, but hopefully this one will keep my attention.
August 12, 2013
"Families, I hate you! Shut-in homes, closed doors, jealous possessions of happiness. ~ Andre Gide, Les nourritures terrestres
October 26, 2012
James Connor does a good job of telling in detail all of the influences of Blaise Pascal's life and it all led to his famous wager statement.
January 19, 2016
Starts out good and gets kinda slow toward the end
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews