Atheist's wager

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The Atheist's wager, coined by the philosopher Michael Martin and published in his 1990 book Atheism: A Philosophical Justification, is an atheistic response to Pascal's wager regarding the existence of God. [1]

One version of the Atheist's wager suggests that since a kind and loving god would reward good deeds – and that if no gods exist, good deeds would still leave a positive legacy – one should live a good life without religion. [2] [3] This argument assumes that if a god exists, they are benevolent and just, rather than arbitrary or punitive in their judgment of human actions. This contrasts with Pascal's wager, which presumes a god who rewards belief and punishes disbelief regardless of moral conduct. Philosophers such as John Schellenberg have argued that a perfectly just deity would be more likely to reward sincere moral behavior and intellectual honesty rather than belief for its own sake. [4] Another formulation suggests that a god may reward honest disbelief and punish a dishonest belief in the divine. [5]

Explanation

Martin's wager states that if one were to analyze their options in regard to how to live their life, they would arrive at the following possibilities: [2] [6]

The following table shows the values assigned to each possible outcome:

A benevolent god existsNo benevolent god exists
Belief in god (B)No belief in god (¬B)Belief in god (B)No belief in god (¬B)
Good life (L)+∞ (heaven)+∞ (heaven)+X (positive legacy)+X (positive legacy)
Evil life (¬L)−∞ (hell)−∞ (hell)−X (negative legacy)−X (negative legacy)

Given these values, Martin argues that the option to live a good life clearly dominates the option of living an evil life, regardless of belief in a god. Whether one believes in god has no effect on the outcome.

References

  1. ↑ Oppy, Graham (2019). A Companion to Atheism and Philosophy (First ed.). Wiley. p. 221. ISBN   978-1-119-11918-0.
  2. 1 2 Martin, Michael (1990). Atheism: A Philosophical Justification . Temple University Press. pp.  232–238. ISBN   978-0-8772-2642-0.
  3. ↑ Berry, Alvin F. (2011). So What If...the God of the Bible Exists...Does It Really Matter at the End ... Dog Ear Publishing. p. 10. ISBN   978-1-457-50020-6.
  4. ↑ Schellenberg, John L. (2015). The Hiddenness Argument: Philosophy’s New Challenge to Belief in God. Oxford University Press. pp. 52–55. ISBN   978-0-19-873308-9.
  5. ↑ Stahl, Philip A. (2007). Atheism: A Beginner's Handbook: All You Wanted to Know About Atheism and Why . iUniverse. pp. 39–42. ISBN   978-0-5954-2737-6.
  6. ↑ Martin, Michael (1983). "Pascal's Wager as an Argument for Not Believing in God". Religious Studies. 19: 57–64. doi:10.1017/S0034412500014700. S2CID   170450896.
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