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A review by carterreads24
Finite and Infinite Games: A Vision of Life as Play and Possibility by James P. Carse
5.0
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.