Playback speed
Share post
Share post at current time
0:00
/
0:00

How Pascal's Wager Has Made Slaves of Us All

Toby Young's speech at the inaugural meeting of the Icelandic Free Speech Society in Reykjavik, January 7th 2023

Update: Toby has now written up his speech and posted it on The Daily Sceptic.

Discussion about this video

Jan 10, 2023Liked by Thorsteinn Siglaugsson

Dang!

I was even in Reykjavik last Saturday, and could have - would have - come, had I known.

All power to the FSU, and to you, Toby.

Expand full comment

Thanks for posting Toby Young's insightful speech. Yes, "moralistic scientism" is one of the greatest threats to individual liberty and healthy societies.

Hélas, the upturned noses of those with "highest status," who bandy criticisms, nurturing their egos and pursuing dystopian policies, while ignoring the many harms they inflict on others.

Here's to the success of the Icelandic Free Speech Society!

Expand full comment
Comment deleted
Expand full comment

Padcals Wager definition "the argument that it is in one's own best interest to behave as if God exists, since the possibility of eternal punishment in hell outweighs any advantage in believing otherwise"

Expand full comment
author

As I understand Toby here, the similarity between Pascal's Wager and the panicked response to Covid is that the probability isn't factured in.

Expand full comment

It's a fine analogy in my view. Pascal's Wager attempts to short-circuit theology by clumsily treating it a question of 'prizes to be won' - since you could win eternal life (the logic goes), it's worth gambling on that course of action. But this is bad theology, and it is even worse in a scientific context. "Live could be saved/lost" is the new "eternal life/damnation" circumventing the necessary dialogue and thought.

Expand full comment