 |
| Blaise Pascal |
Blas Pascal (1623-1662) is known for his activity in
mathematics (he devised the triangle
of Pascal), physics (he proved the principle of Pascal, invented the hydraulic press and
experimented with atmospheric pressure) and especially for his Pensées
(Thoughts) one of which
contains the first known example of the use of game theory, whose theoretical
development had to wait until the twentieth century. This example is the famous
Pascal wager,
which he expressed thus:
Dieu est ou il n’est pas.
Mais de quel côté pencherons‑nous?... Pesons le gain et la perte en prenant
croix que Dieu est. Estimons ces deux cas: si vous gagnez, vous gagnez
tout, si vous perdez, vous ne perdez rien. Gagez
donc qu’il est sans hésiter.
Whose English translation is:
God exists or He does
not exist. Which side shall we take?... Let us weigh the gain and loss,
assuming that God exists. Let us consider both cases: if you win, you win
everything; if you lose, you lose nothing. So you must wager, without doubt,
for His existence.
