Droid's Wager

[Inevitable Droid]

We die.  From there, I see eight possibilities.

(1) There is no afterlife.

The remainder assumes an afterlife.

(2) There is no judgment.

The new remainder assumes judgment.

(3) We judge ourselves.

(4) The Trinity judges us in accord with Christian theology, which requires, among other things, accepting that Mohammed was wrong about Jesus being strictly mortal, and accepting that there is no judge but the Trinity.

(5)  Allah judges us in accord with Muslim theology, which requires, among other things, accepting that Mohammed was right about Jesus being strictly mortal, and accepting that there is no judge but Allah.

(6) Karma is operative and we reap in a future life what we sowed in this one, hence practical good and evil provide the rule of governance, rather than moral good and evil.

(7) Odin judges us by whether we died courageously in battle or not.  (Included because it’s genuinely distinct from any other option I’ve yet encountered and for all I know it’s true.)

( Some tribunal unknown to man judges us by standards no man has guessed.


Given the above, and taking all of them seriously for the sake of making bets, how shall we gamble?

Well, if any of the first three are true, then it makes sense for me to live my life on Earth by whatever standards I see fit to live by.  Three out of eight is less than half, though, so I’m on shaky ground.

But the eighth, being impossible to predict as to its ramifications, leaves me concluding that even if it’s true, I might as well live my life on Earth by whatever standards I see fit to live by, and let the chips fall where they may.  Four out of eight is fifty/fifty.  Not too bad, but I’d like to do better.

The fourth and fifth contradict one another and also contradict all the others, so they can’t be combined with anything.  They represent the worst bets to make.

The sixth can be combined with 1, 2, 3, and 8, if and only if maximizing practical good and minimizing practical evil represent standards by which I honestly and earnestly want to live my life on Earth; but in that case, we get five out of eight, better than 50% - a good bet.

The seventh, likewise, can be combined with 1, 2, 3, and 8, if and only if dying courageously in battle represents the standard by which I honestly and earnestly want to live my life on Earth; but in that case, we get five out of eight, better than 50% - a good bet.

Thus two good bets present themselves, each good if and only if it speaks to my honest and earnest desires as to what I want my life to be.

With regard to the two, however, one more thought presents itself for consideration.  If I’m undecided about which I prefer, I can weigh this in.  If, of the eight original options, the first or second is true, it would be regrettable for me to die young, all else being equal.  The bet that includes dying courageously in battle could easily entail dying young.  This gives a bit of an edge to the option that includes maximizing practical good and minimizing practical evil as the standard by which to live my life on Earth.

How do you bet?

[OldGit]

I'd go for dear old Ã"ðinn / Woden / Wotan, because as far as I know, for him you don't actually have to die in battle, only with a sword in your hand.  Then if (4) is right, you can pretend the sword is doubling as a cross.  The Crusaders did that, and they must have gone to heaven.  If (5) is right, you can claim you were off on a jihad.  Remember to wear a small hammer on a chain round your neck.  I believe silver was best.  Oh, and never cross the road without a sword.

(Also Ã"ðinn is basically the same guy as the old Celtic god Lugg.  Lugg means 'bright' and is the name of the river which flows near my home, so that's an extra inducement for me.)

EDIT:  On second thoughts the hammer thing was Thor.  Never mind, it won't hurt to wear one anyway, just in case.