Who knows blaise pascal?

M: The famous17th century mathematician blaise pascal applied the principle of neutrality to Christian loyalty.

Pascal: One can't decide whether to accept or reject the teaching of the church. The theory may be true or deceptive. It's a bit like flipping a coin. The two possibilities are equal. But what is karma?

Pascal: Suppose this person rejects the teachings of the church. If the doctrine is deceptive, he has nothing to lose. However, if the doctrine is true, he will face a future of endless suffering in hell.

Pascal: Suppose this person accepted the propaganda of the church. If the doctrine is deceptive, he will get nothing. However, if the doctrine is true, he will be able to enter heaven and enjoy infinite happiness.

M: Pascal is convinced that the infinite retribution for this decision game is conducive to betting on the attitude that the doctrine is true. Philosophers have been arguing about Pascal's bet ever since. What's your opinion?

Blaise pascal, a French mathematician and philosopher in the 7th century, was one of the founders of probability theory. The first picture shows a famous number structure he proposed, called Pascal Triangle. Pascal was not the inventor of this triangle (it can be traced back to the early Middle Ages), but he was the first person to study it thoroughly. This graphic structure has many ingenious combination properties, which makes it a useful tool for solving elementary probability problems (see the chapter of Pascal Triangle in Mathematics-Human Courage by Hannod jacoby).

In philosophy, the most dramatic application of Pascal's triangle is the 233rd idea in Pascal's Random Thoughts. Pascal believes that since we are not sure whether the teachings of the church are true or not, we should regard these two situations as equally possible. Just like the result of flipping a coin. However, if we accept the church's preaching, the return is infinitely beneficial; If we refuse it, we will get unlimited rewards. So he advocated acceptance as the best policy.

Pascal's class discussion will soon lead students to go deep into all kinds of profoundly challenging problems. For example:

1. Does Pascal's assertion legally apply the principle of neutrality?

2. What's your response to such an objection raised by the French philosopher Dennis Lindero? There are many other religions with great influence in the world, such as Islam, and they also propose that accepting this religion is a condition for salvation. Does Pascal's bet apply to all these religions? If so, can one become a believer in every religion?

3. What do you think of Wells? We don't know whether the world will survive the atomic war. However, you should live and act as if you are sure that the world can survive this disaster, because (as Wells said) "If your optimism can't be proved in the end, you will be happy forever".