Blaise, meet Bridget

In 1670 or so, Blaise Pascal made himself a little wager. Should he believe in God? He wrote about the question at some length in his Pensees, but it largely comes down to this:

	God exists	God does not exist
Wager for God	Gain all	Status quo
Wager against God	Misery	Status quo

Since he had nothing to lose and everything to gain, Pascal decided to believe in God.

Replace "God exists" with "feel stupid" and you'll get an idea of what I thought about in the shower today. I have nothing to lose by feeling confident, and everything to gain. Nothing to lose, everything to gain. Nothing to lo - Gain! Gain gain gain!

I have decided to call it Bridget Jones's Wager.

I have to wonder, though. Did Pascal dance around the house to keep his atheism at bay?