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Fidelity & ExcellenceThomas Aquinas College is unique among American colleges and universities, offering a faithfully Catholic education comprised entirely of the Great Books and classroom discussions.
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Truth MattersTruth, and nothing less, sets men free; and because truth is both natural and supernatural, the College’s curriculum aims at both natural and divine wisdom.
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What Can You Do with a Liberal Education?Nothing speaks more to the versatility of the College’s academic program than the good that our alumni are doing throughout the Church and the world.
Tutor Brian Dragoo (’01) Considers Pascal’s Wager from a Gambler’s Perspective
Is faith in God a safe bet, given the potential eternal outcomes?
In his Pensées, the 17th century mathematician, physicist, and philosopher Blaise Pascal famously argued that it is. But last week, Thomas Aquinas College tutor Brian Dragoo (’01), an experienced and accomplished poker player, subjected Pascal’s argument to mathematical analysis.
In Pascal’s Wager: A Gambler’s Commentary, Mr. Dragoo considered Pascal’s famous “wager,” which posits that man’s reason is incapable of proving or disproving God’s existence, therefore the odds that He exists are 50–50, the same as a coin toss. Extending the coin-flip analogy, Pascal contends that man must wager his life on the outcome that God exists. The stakes are high, as the gambler stands to win or lose infinite, beatific life.
Students at Thomas Aquinas College read Pascal’s Wager during Junior Year as part of their broader study of the Pensées. “Whenever I teach it, I go back and forth between thinking that the argument doesn’t hang together at all, on the one hand, and feeling like I’m just on the cusp of understanding it, on the other,” Mr. Dragoo observed. In an effort to resolve this dilemma, his talk focused on whether Pascal’s argument works from a bettor’s perspective.
In his “Gambler’s Commentary,” Mr. Dragoo broke down Pascal’s argument according to probability theory, the mathematics governing the outcome of uncertain events. “Pascal is directing his argument to those who might be able to think like gamblers. But how do gamblers think?” Mr. Dragoo asked his audience. He gave his listeners a crash course in the basic mathematics of a coin toss and the logic of a professional gambler, who makes his livelihood on probability theory. He then applied this same logic to Pascal’s Wager to judge whether or not it is a convincing proposition to a gambler’s mind.
Mr. Dragoo’s presentation was part of an ongoing series of Wednesday-afternoon “Tutor Talks,” after-class lectures in which members of the teaching faculty share their insights on texts from the curriculum as well as research into subjects beyond. Since TAC tutors teach all of their classes through the Discussion Method, these talks give students a rare opportunity to hear them lecture in an informal setting on topics of special interest.
Mr. Dragoo joined the faculty of Thomas Aquinas College in 2004, not long after he graduated from the program as a student. Prior to enrolling at the College, he received a B.S. and M.S. in civil engineering from the University of Arizona.
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