“There are at least two kinds of games,” states James P. Carse as he begins this extraordinary book. “One could be called finite; the other infinite.”
Finite games are the familiar contests of everyday life; they are played in order to be won, which is when they end. But infinite games are more mysterious. Their object is not winning, but ensuring the continuation of play. The rules may change, the boundaries may change, even the participants may change—as long as the game is never allowed to come to an end.
What are infinite games? How do they affect the ways we play our finite games? What are we doing when we play—finitely or infinitely? And how can infinite games affect the ways in which we live our lives?
Carse explores these questions with stunning elegance, teasing out of his distinctions a universe of observation and insight, noting where and why and how we play, finitely and infinitely. He surveys our world—from the finite games of the playing field and playing board to the infinite games found in culture and religion—leaving all we think we know illuminated and transformed. Along the way, Carse finds new ways of understanding everything, from how an actress portrays a role to how we engage in sex, from the nature of evil to the nature of science. Finite games, he shows, may offer wealth and status, power and glory, but infinite games offer something far more subtle and far grander.
Carse has written a book rich in insight and aphorism. Already an international literary event, Finite and Infinite Games is certain to be argued about and celebrated for years to come. Reading it is the first step in learning to play the infinite game.
1 有用 数在云端 2022-06-26 22:32:30
单词不难,含义很深,英文如同古诗般去品。书中引用的各国名人随手拈来,作者本身的文字功底就非常高。例如 美国总统昆西的语录,卢梭的man is born free,and everywhere he is in chains.等很多深入的语言。 无限游戏者工作是没有边界的也不是模糊的未来,只是将任务向已经有的未来向前推进。目的不是把时间用工作填满,而是把时间填满到工作的目的上,是否代表做事更有目的性... 单词不难,含义很深,英文如同古诗般去品。书中引用的各国名人随手拈来,作者本身的文字功底就非常高。例如 美国总统昆西的语录,卢梭的man is born free,and everywhere he is in chains.等很多深入的语言。 无限游戏者工作是没有边界的也不是模糊的未来,只是将任务向已经有的未来向前推进。目的不是把时间用工作填满,而是把时间填满到工作的目的上,是否代表做事更有目的性。 这本书值得至少看三遍以上,以后飞机上就带他了。 第一遍阅读已经把陌生词基本都备注上了。20220625 。期待第2次阅读完。 (展开)
0 有用 炸鲜奶 2024-10-12 15:09:58 上海
说到底 finite 和 infinite game player的区别在于 外求和内观
0 有用 阿澍 2023-02-06 01:39:46 美国
Infinite game is all about continuing playing the game
2 有用 指引盗寇入太行 2021-11-13 09:24:15
读完原版,发现中译版本最大的问题还是译者对原文的理解不深,有些地方失去了神韵,哲学小册子还是适合原版,不怕多读,不怕细读,不怕反复品味,人生又有多少本书值得这样珍惜
0 有用 Renae 2025-05-14 18:42:29 澳大利亚
读这本书有种被知识灌溉的感觉,它不是一本常规意义上的哲学书,它没有枯燥的术语或令人晦涩的推理,却有一种奇异的张力和诗意。你几乎可以在每一页、每一句话上画线、写批注、发呆,甚至质疑你过去所有对生活、规则和人我关系的理解。