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27The Cambridge Companion to Pascal (review)Review of Metaphysics 58 (4): 898-900. 2005.Among the historical studies, Ben Rogers performs the unglamorous duty of providing a concise biography of Pascal in “Pascal’s life and times.” Henry Phillips examines Pascal’s study and use of Montaigne and Descartes in “Pascal’s reading and inheritance of Montaigne and Descartes.” This essay is quite informative about Pascal’s apologetic project and the use made of Montaigne and Descartes in that project. An especially interesting feature of this essay is the contrast of the Pascalian apologet…Read more
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117Pascal's WagersMidwest Studies in Philosophy 26 (1). 2002.Pascal is best known among philosophers for his wager in support of Christian belief. Since Ian Hacking’s classic article on the wager, three versions of the wager have been recognized within the concise paragraphs of the Pensées. In what follows I argue that there is a fourth to be found there, a version that in many respects anticipates the argument of William James in his 1896 essay “The Will to Believe.” This fourth wager argument, I contend, differs from the better-known three in that it ha…Read more
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45Is the no-minimum claim true? Reply to cullison: Jeff JordanReligious Studies 47 (1): 125-127. 2011.Is the no-minimum claim true? I have argued that it is not. Andrew Cullison contends that my argument fails, since human sentience is variable; while Michael Schrynemakers has contended that the failure is my neglect of vagueness. Both, I argue, are wrong
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49Is the no-minimum claim true? Reply to CullisonReligious Studies 47 (1). 2011.Is the no-minimum claim true? I have argued that it is not. Andrew Cullison contends that my argument fails, since human sentience is variable; while Michael Schrynemakers has contended that the failure is my neglect of vagueness. Both, I argue, are wrong
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114Divine love and human sufferingInternational Journal for Philosophy of Religion 56 (2-3): 169-178. 2004.
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60Gambling on God: Essays on Pascal’s Wager (edited book)Rowman & Littlefield. 1994.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.
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347Faith, Freedom, and Rationality: Philosophy of Religion Today (edited book)Rowman & Littlefield. 1996.This collection of essays is dedicated to William Rowe, with great affection, respect, and admiration. The philosophy of religion, once considered a deviation from an otherwise analytically rigorous discipline, has flourished over the past two decades. This collection of new essays by twelve distinguished philosophers of religion explores three broad themes: religious attitudes of faith, belief, acceptance, and love; human and divine freedom; and the rationality of religious belief. Contributors…Read more
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37Pascal’s Wagers and James’s Will to BelieveIn William J. Wainwright (ed.), The Oxford handbook of philosophy of religion, Oxford University Press. pp. 168-187. 2005.Pragmatic arguments seek to justify the performance of an action by appealing to the benefits that may follow from that action. Pascal’s wager, for instance, argues that one should inculcate belief in God because there is everything to gain and little to lose by doing do. In this chapter I critically examine Pascal’s wager and William James’s famous “Will-to-Believe” argument by first explaining the logic of each argument and then by surveying the objections commonly arrayed against them. Finall…Read more
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39Divine Hiddenness and Perfect LoveEuropean Journal for Philosophy of Religion 9 (1): 187--202. 2017.
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231Pascal's wager: pragmatic arguments and belief in GodOxford University Press. 2006.Is it reasonable to believe in God even in the absence of strong evidence that God exists? Pragmatic arguments for theism are designed to support belief even if one lacks evidence that theism is more likely than not. Jeff Jordan proposes that there is a sound version of the most well-known argument of this kind, Pascal's Wager, and explores the issues involved - in epistemology, the ethics of belief, decision theory, and theology.