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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
James P. Carafe’s Finite and Infinite Games has been a HIGHLY impactful book in my life. There’s no way I can give an unbiased review here, though I guess all reviews are biased.
“There are at least two kinds of games,” Carafe’s theory begins. “One could be called finite, the other infinite.”
The rest of the book expounds on this premise, a premise that holds that the different goals we have in life are games we play to achieve a certain outcome. I might have the goal of becoming a lawyer, for example. If I see my self-worth as attached to whether I become a lawyer, I might be playing a finite game which ends in me either winning that prize or losing it to my competition. If I’m playing the game of lawyer as an infinite game, though, I may take some of the same actions toward that goal, but I may not consider attaining that goal the most important thing driving my life.
It’s an impressive book. In my experience in reading and re-reading this book, I’ve gotten consistent value from the first 4 chapters of the book, and progressively more value from the subsequent chapters on each re-read, as I apply Carse’s philosophy to other aspects of my life that have unfolded.
Great read - life-impacting for me.
“There are at least two kinds of games,” Carafe’s theory begins. “One could be called finite, the other infinite.”
The rest of the book expounds on this premise, a premise that holds that the different goals we have in life are games we play to achieve a certain outcome. I might have the goal of becoming a lawyer, for example. If I see my self-worth as attached to whether I become a lawyer, I might be playing a finite game which ends in me either winning that prize or losing it to my competition. If I’m playing the game of lawyer as an infinite game, though, I may take some of the same actions toward that goal, but I may not consider attaining that goal the most important thing driving my life.
It’s an impressive book. In my experience in reading and re-reading this book, I’ve gotten consistent value from the first 4 chapters of the book, and progressively more value from the subsequent chapters on each re-read, as I apply Carse’s philosophy to other aspects of my life that have unfolded.
Great read - life-impacting for me.
Talk about a mind bender. Adaptable to a lot of different thoughts and ideas. Most lines had me stopping and thinking for a long time. Be patient with the book and with yourself as you work through it.
informative
medium-paced
Not in the habit of reading philosophy so I struggled to get through this. I suspect there's a lot of insight in this topic for someone with more time to spend on it.
Three takeaways:
1. The basic theory: A finite game is played for the purpose of winning; an infinite game is played for the purpose of continuing the play.
2. Unlike in finite games, the rules of infinite games must change over time, otherwise someone could "win." (These rules instead represent the contractual terms by which players keep playing.)
3. Surprise causes finite games to end -- so players try to minimize it -- whereas it is what causes infinite games to prolong (and players try to prepare for it).
Three takeaways:
1. The basic theory: A finite game is played for the purpose of winning; an infinite game is played for the purpose of continuing the play.
2. Unlike in finite games, the rules of infinite games must change over time, otherwise someone could "win." (These rules instead represent the contractual terms by which players keep playing.)
3. Surprise causes finite games to end -- so players try to minimize it -- whereas it is what causes infinite games to prolong (and players try to prepare for it).
Frankly, gave up on this after about reading 10-20% of the text. It employs very bizarre definitions of words (I'm exaggerating, but "let's define a book as a fruit with a red skin"), and doesn’t seem to be constructed in a way that allows you to pull out useful information. Obviously many people seem to swear by this book. I'm just not one of them, and it appears I'm not alone in my reaction. Take that as you will, for what it's worth!
*I need to read this again. This is a book to be read slowly.
challenging
hopeful
medium-paced
improved my life and i love talking about it with friends. it is hard to read at times and takes re-reading but it’s so so worth it