Really nice article :-) The last bit on probability reminds me of a very drunken argument on a balcony in Rome with a friend. He's a poker player and I think the disagreement was about cumlative odds. I can't remember, lots of wine had been consumed.

Pascal was indeed an interesting person, although having pondered his wager for several years, I came up with this conclusion:

Given the statistical unlikelihood of there being a superbeing, whom is intent on torturing you for quadrillions of years, for perceived discrepancies committed within a fragment of time. Multiplied by the improbability of picking the right God and right sect, if indeed there is a God.

Then it is in fact much more prudent to carry on with your life as planned.

Apart from probability, such an immensly powerful, entropy defying being, would know in advance whether you will pass the test, so nothing you do will make a difference.

I like what Laplace, another great mathematician said to Napolean, when asked why there was no mention of God in his theory.

He simply replied: *'Je n'avais pas besoin de cette hypothèse-là. (I had no need of that hypothesis.)” *

Voila! :-)

Cg