- Mass Market Paperback: 192 pages
- Publisher: Ballantine Books Inc.; 1st Ballantine Books Ed edition (1 Dec 1992)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0345341848
- ISBN-13: 978-0345341846
- Product Dimensions: 17 x 10.4 x 1.5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 358,326 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
An extraordinary book that will dramatically change the way you experience life.
Finite games are the familiar contests of everyday life, the games we play in business and politics, in the bedroom and on the battlefied -- games with winners and losers, a beginning and an end. Infinite games are more mysterious -- and ultimately more rewarding. They are unscripted and unpredictable; they are the source of true freedom.
In this elegant and compelling work, James Carse explores what these games mean, and what they can mean to you. He offers stunning new insights into the nature of property and power, of culture and community, of sexuality and self-discovery, opening the door to a world of infinite delight and possibility.
"An extraordinary little book . . . a wise and intimate companion, an elegant reminder of the real."
-- Brain/Mind Bulletin
Finite games are the familiar contests of everyday life, the games we play in business and politics, in the bedroom and on the battlefied -- games with winners and losers, a beginning and an end. Infinite games are more mysterious -- and ultimately more rewarding. They are unscripted and unpredictable; they are the source of true freedom.
In this elegant and compelling work, James Carse explores what these games mean, and what they can mean to you. He offers stunning new insights into the nature of property and power, of culture and community, of sexuality and self-discovery, opening the door to a world of infinite delight and possibility.
"An extraordinary little book . . . a wise and intimate companion, an elegant reminder of the real."
-- Brain/Mind Bulletin
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is one of those that polarises peoples opinions. Some find it amateur in content, boring or even pointless but then others like myself glean so much from it, and that depends on starting from the right point and following the progressive trail that the author takes us on. It can be very abstract at times and you may have expected some fun because it says "games" in the title, but here are some very good insights into the the inevitability of mankind playing itself through from start to finish. It's a tool, a lexicon and so remains a sort of kaleidoscopic reference point on life. I don't wish to discredit the authors effort in any way as I have gained far too much from it for me to merit an attack.
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This book had so much potential, and it is very frustrating how much it failed to deliver. There is a place for the pointlessly abstract; University... But to the lay audience, some will be needlessly confused, and others will make this into a holy text, one which they won't entirely understand but still proclaim their belief in.
As an example, the sections that parrot Heidegger take the worst elements of Heidegger's language and none of his subtleness of thought.
The notion of an infinite/finite game is one with a long history (The Stoics!) but Carse does try and place it in a more formalised discussion. Its a pity he doesn't do a better job of explaining this clearly and instead hides behind language. Wittgenstein would hate this book.
As an example, the sections that parrot Heidegger take the worst elements of Heidegger's language and none of his subtleness of thought.
The notion of an infinite/finite game is one with a long history (The Stoics!) but Carse does try and place it in a more formalised discussion. Its a pity he doesn't do a better job of explaining this clearly and instead hides behind language. Wittgenstein would hate this book.
5 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This is one of the most interesting books I have ever read. I spent the evening looking through my book collection to find my copy of Infinite and Finite Games. The ideas seem simple, but are complex. It is one of those book whose concepts stay in your mind long after you have finished reading the book. I remeber right after I finished the book for the first time, years ago, I went to a bio-diversity. I remember thinking that most of the species on the planet are playing an infinte game. That is they are playing in order to keep playing. We are the only species who plays the game soley to win. That is our tragic flaw. One species playing only to win can destroy life on an entire planet.
I hope we learn the most important thing is to learn to play infinite games--to learn to play in order to keep playing. If we don't learn this simple lesson, life here will, of course, not survive.
I hope we learn the most important thing is to learn to play infinite games--to learn to play in order to keep playing. If we don't learn this simple lesson, life here will, of course, not survive.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Meretricious tripe for the feeble minded
Having an interest in Game Theory, and also seeing the praise this book has received from reviewers, not least on the Amazon.com site, I opened this book with high hopes. Read more
Published 24 months ago by P MARTIN
A Gem
One of those books that says different things, different ways each time you pick it up. It may seem pretentious, this book, but it is like a Zen koan. Read more
Published on 8 Jan 2004 by Thomas Harris
Repetitive and Dull
Never has a book advocating life as a game been quite so dull, and the bullet-point listing of sentences doesn't help. Read more
Published on 11 Jun 2002 by Martin Harper
What is this?
It must be me...but this book is absolutely senseless. It does not say ANYTHING that I don't already know.. Read more
Published on 3 Aug 1999
Get a Life!
The entire content of this book could be summarized in a single boring paragraph. Furthermore, it's mostly wrong. Read more
Published on 30 July 1999
paradigm shift in easy to understand examples
i first read this book in japan, and the guy who lent it to me almost lost it to me. it consolidates thousands of "self-help" and mysticism books into elegant,... Read more
Published on 11 Jun 1999
The only mystical things
about James Carse's book "Finite and Infinite Games" is the
existence of the fine mind which realised it, and the human
being who wrote it down. Read more
existence of the fine mind which realised it, and the human
being who wrote it down. Read more
Published on 13 Jan 1997
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