Christopher Hitchens on Pascal's wager

[mechanicalman]

Can’t believe I’m sharing this on YouTube, but anyway...

My grandfather was an atheist as long as I’d been alive. Like me, he had a dark sense of humor and was perfectly comfortable with the idea of death and talking about it. When he was 94 and on his death bed, we had a conversation. I asked him if he was afraid he’d go to hell. He said “no, I miss all my friends”. “So no death bed conversion?” I asked. His reply and last words to me: “fuck no.” I squeezed his hand and said my goodbyes. I’ll always cherish that.

[mchantloup]

I liked another of Hitch's response to Pascal's Wager. When asked why he wouldn't believe in God just in case it existed, Hitch replied, "For the same reason I don't drape garlic around my door just in case vampires exist."

[Michaelingolfhansen]

Soooo smooth and elegant, while being harsh and polite at the same time!

[dringypie]

I could spend hours listening to Christopher reciting a shopping list. Terrific man and gone far, far too soon.

[josephclark]

His insights and observations on America right now would be so incredible to hear.

[WunHungLo]

It assumes you've got the right God of Imagine taking the Wager and as you ascend you're greeted by Zeus

[sljzz]

My first thoughts when introduced to Pascals Wager: it assumes that if a god exists, it wants to be worshipped and will reward people for doing so. But that's just us mortals projecting our own desires. If a omnipotent god wanted people to worship him, everyone would already be doing that. I am not already doing that. If a omnipotent god didn't want people to worship him, nobody would be doing that. Religion exists. Therefore the hypothetical omnipotent god probably doesn't care. Therefore Pascal's wager is void.

[andrewmitchell]

In such times as we live, I find myself back watching Hitchens..

[csadler]

Love Hitch, miss him so much. As usual, shreds Pascal and his Wager.

[chessandmathguy]

He had a way with words that was unrivaled. Mercilessly shredding Pascal's Wager to pieces, but to be fair, it doesn't take much.

[HandsomeBWonderful]

Carl Sagan does a good reverse wager, if the world is going to end shouldn't we try our hardest to prevent it instead of hoping that a divine being will save us? No one would be upset if we are saved but just incase we should try our hardest to sort things out for ourselves

[russellcampbell]

Great response to an utterly cynical proposal. Thanks, Hitch.

[brianw.]

Atheism is a wager, too! Hitchens wagered his life on it.

Pascal wrote: "You must wager. It is not optional."

[jackwachtel-scott]

If a supreme being were really a supreme being would its ego be such as to need worship?
Didn't always agree with Hitchens but on this he was spot on

[terryhill]

What a great man.What a great person.I so wish we had just a few like him running our Govt .

[bernaldelcastillo]

Here is a man who knows his demise is very close but he is not scared, standing firmly by his convictions!!

[williamcooke]

It also presupposes that if there is a God, he would care about whether you believe or not. It assumes that the obscure God should use your belief in him a key factor in judging your entire life. Is it not also arguably petty that the supreme being would be pissed off at puny humans who were not convinced of his existence?

[TTony-tudm]

One of the great minds of the last century. I didn’t always agree with him but man do I miss him

[nicholasschroeder]

Isn't the wager basically this: I better pretend to believe in something I don't because I'll be punished if the something I don't believe in finds out I'm only pretending to believe.

[geosutube]

Hitchens loved to lead with the knockout punch. Any great boxer would have agreed with his approach. My thinking has been reformed by Hitchens’ “follow the logic” arguments.. I have lost a supposed religious friend with my impromptu version of Hitch’s argument against Pascal’s Wager. My dying wife learned of Hitch’s response, said, save that for me. She later used it.