This refers to a utilitarian argument made in favour of why it may be rational for people to believe in god. It states that irrespective of the lack of evidence, it makes sense for people to believe in god since the costs of such belief are likely to be tiny compared to the possible benefits. It was proposed by French philosopher Blaise Pascal in his 1670 book Pensees . Pascal argued that if god exists, the believer will enjoy infinite benefits in heaven and escape infinite losses in hell, while only foregoing smaller worldly pleasures while alive. A notable critique of this argument is the Atheist’s Wager proposed by American philosopher Michael Martin in 1990.
