Securing the Main Chance: Prudential Belief from Tillotson to Defoe
Many 17th-century arguments over the validity of belief turn from the ontological problem of God's existence toward the consequences of believing versus disbelieving, and the benefits and risks of either choice. Insistence on the necessity of making a choice, and the application of worldly thou...
| Publié dans: | Literature and theology |
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| Auteur principal: | |
| Type de support: | Électronique Article |
| Langue: | Anglais |
| Vérifier la disponibilité: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | En cours de chargement...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Publié: |
Oxford University Press
[2019]
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| Dans: |
Literature and theology
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| RelBib Classification: | CB Spiritualité chrétienne CD Christianisme et culture FA Théologie VA Philosophie |
| Accès en ligne: |
Accès probablement gratuit Volltext (Resolving-System) Volltext (doi) |
| Résumé: | Many 17th-century arguments over the validity of belief turn from the ontological problem of God's existence toward the consequences of believing versus disbelieving, and the benefits and risks of either choice. Insistence on the necessity of making a choice, and the application of worldly thought-processes to an otherworldly theological question, is most familiar through the Pascalian wager. Yet many English writers before and after Pascal approached the question of belief from a similarly prudential standpoint, and brought to bear arguments and images drawn from various forms of worldly gambling, such as investing, insuring, and mercantile activity. There were numerous sermons on Matthew 16:26: 'For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?' Distinguished preachers like John Tillotson and philosophers such as John Locke made 'direct appeal to a calculating precautionary self-interest'. This article surveys how English divines marshal the language and mentality of wagering and risk-taking in the service of religious belief, thus pursuing traditional sacred ends by modern profane means. |
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| ISSN: | 1477-4623 |
| Contient: | Enthalten in: Literature and theology
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1093/litthe/fry037 |