All Saints’ Day – The Mathematics of the Afterlife

The concept of the afterlife has been mathematically modelled: infinite time, infinite bliss (divergent series). Pascal’s Wager uses expected value: if the probability of God’s existence is p (even tiny), and the reward is infinite, then the expected value of believing is infinite. So belief is rational. Critics argue that multiple religions offer competing infinities, and that the utility of belief may be finite. The mathematics of infinity is subtle – Cantor showed that not all infinities are equal. A perfect day to contemplate the infinite.