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Simon Singh

“Pascal was even convinced that he could use his theories to justify a belief in God. He stated that ‘the excitement that a gambler feels when making a bet is equal to the amount he might win multiplied by the probability of winning it’. He then argued that the possible prize of eternal happiness has an infinite value and that the probability of entering heaven by leading a virtuous life, no matter how small, is certainly finite. Therefore, according to Pascal’s definition, religion was a game of infinite excitement and one worth playing, because multiplying an infinite prize by a finite probability results in infinity.”

Simon Singh, Fermat’s Last Theorem: The compelling biography and history of mathematical intellectual endeavour
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Fermat’s Last Theorem: The compelling biography and history of mathematical intellectual endeavour Fermat’s Last Theorem: The compelling biography and history of mathematical intellectual endeavour by Simon Singh
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