Hi all, Kathy writes about arguments for "leaps of faith". The classic source of this is Pascal's "Pensee's", in which he describes what is now known as "Pascal's Wager". Pascal's Wager is a powerful decision-theoretic argument for why it's more rational to believe in God than not to. Pascal was a famous mathematician (the Pascal in Pascal's Triangle and the programming language). Whatever you think of his Wager, the Pensees are a beautiful, intense piece of writing. As you read it, you feel that you are sitting in a medieval monastery and you can hear the monks' Gregorian chants in the background. You can find discussion of Pascal's wager in Perry and Bratman's anthology "Introduction to Philosophy", 3rd ed., Oxford University Press. In general, Perry and Bratman is a great source for those who want to know a bit about the philosophical literature on anything, but don't have time to take a full course. They have classic pieces on just about any philosophical topic, and each section has an introduction to gives you a quick intro to the subject. The question of whether God's existence is in some sense a meaningful empirical hypothesis is difficult. A somewhat eccentric but also delightful and rigorous treatment of the issue is Steven J. Brams "Superior Beings: If They Exist, How Would we Know?" 1983 Springer Verlag New York. Brams is an excellent political scientist and good game theorist. He says that "I know of no reasons, in principle, why some of the great religious-theological questions of our age cannot be made more perspicuous, their analysis more coherent, and their implications better understood by the use of formal deductive methods appropriate to the problem at hand. The problems will vary, and so will the methods, but the marriage, if consummated, could have auspicious prospects. It will, I trust, not be dull." In that spirit he analyzes interactions between mortals and (possibly) superior beings with mathematical definitions and the tools of modern game theory - complete with equilibrium analysis, algorithms and unlearnibility results! I think this book is great fun and stimulating for any scientist who is interested in God. Regards, Oliver ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Oliver Schulte Phone: (780) 492-8667 Dep. of Philosophy Fax: (780) 492-9160 University of Alberta E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 4-89 Humanities Centre Web Page: http://www.ualberta.ca/~oschulte Edmonton, AB T6G 2E5 Canada
