Finite and Infinite Games
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- Create Date：2021-07-16 08:54:24
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：James P. Carse
- ISBN：1476731713
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Summary
“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。 A finite game is played for the purpose of winning， an infinite game for the purpose of continuing the play。”
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。
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。
Reviews
Mark Ballinger
，
I can't say this was worth reading。 The premise is right there in the first line， and then follows a few interesting ideas。 I took some notes， seeing a connection between my work and who is an "infinite" player and who （students） are in it for a "finite" game。But， then the author keeps going with short explorations， sometimes thoughtful， often highly debatable， sometimes howlingly wrong。 I imagine his friends: "He's doing #40 again。" When he gets into "I Am the Genius of Myself" and his ideas on I can't say this was worth reading。 The premise is right there in the first line， and then follows a few interesting ideas。 I took some notes， seeing a connection between my work and who is an "infinite" player and who （students） are in it for a "finite" game。But， then the author keeps going with short explorations， sometimes thoughtful， often highly debatable， sometimes howlingly wrong。 I imagine his friends: "He's doing #40 again。" When he gets into "I Am the Genius of Myself" and his ideas on sexuality， that was it for me。 Even when things came back， I was not there for the argument。 。。。more
Siddarth Gore
，
The victorious do not speak with the defeated; they speak for the defeated。 Husbands speak for wives in the finite family， and parents for their children。Games are played to be won or lost。 But what if a game does not end？ How and why would we play such a game？ The author has a fantastic formulation where he looks at the world from this vantage and brings out incredible insights into our daily lives。It is， in fact， seriousness that closes itself to consequence， for seriousness is a dread of the The victorious do not speak with the defeated; they speak for the defeated。 Husbands speak for wives in the finite family， and parents for their children。Games are played to be won or lost。 But what if a game does not end？ How and why would we play such a game？ The author has a fantastic formulation where he looks at the world from this vantage and brings out incredible insights into our daily lives。It is， in fact， seriousness that closes itself to consequence， for seriousness is a dread of the unpredictable outcome of open possibility。 To be serious is to press for a specified conclusion。 To be playful is to allow for possibility whatever the cost to oneself。According to him infinite play is the one where we want to be surprised。 Whereas finite play is where we want everything （including the opponents moves） to be predictable。 That is how you win a tennis match or a war。 Or perhaps earn a promotion？[I am] pressured to take up one of the roles prepared for me: eldest son， favorite daughter， heir to the family’s honor， avenger of its losses。 Each of these roles comes， of course， with a script， one whose lines a person might easily spend a lifetime repeating， while intentionally forgetting， or repressing， the fact that it is but a learned script。Finite play is where you become an actor， follow a script。 But what happens when you realize no matter how many roles you play none of them are you。 What remains when you are not playing any roles is an infinite play。 Is it even possible？reading of the poetry is itself poetryWhen you genuinely enjoy something that is art。 It is not sellable or of use to anyone else but who says it needs to be？Knowledge， therefore， is like property。 It must be published， declared， or in some other way so displayed that others cannot but take account of it。Knowledge is an asset just like property。 And it becomes a liability if you get too attached to it。Storytelling is therefore not combative; it does not succeed or fail。 A story cannot be obeyed。There are infinite games all around us。 We have to recognize and play them as such。There is no possibility of conversation with a loudspeaker。*crickets* 。。。more
John
，
This book feels like it was written by a child of George Lakoff who shares his deep commitment to metaphor as the underpinnings of cognition and was raised on the Tao and decided to take a shot at writing his own version。 It reads like a sequence of Zen koans or contradictory statements meant to provoke thought。 My takeaway from an admittedly somewhat surface-level read is that Finite players and Infinite players are separated by how much they fight the impulse to compete with each other， reach This book feels like it was written by a child of George Lakoff who shares his deep commitment to metaphor as the underpinnings of cognition and was raised on the Tao and decided to take a shot at writing his own version。 It reads like a sequence of Zen koans or contradictory statements meant to provoke thought。 My takeaway from an admittedly somewhat surface-level read is that Finite players and Infinite players are separated by how much they fight the impulse to compete with each other， reach for definite answers， and circumscribe their experiences according to others’ expectations of them。 This loose definition works for almost all of the finite/infinite splits in this book， I think。 The problem it， it’s not particularly interesting and is ground that’s covered by a lot of other cultural messages already （perhaps as a result of this book？）。 I really expected that he would transition from description into advice。 When is it better to treat a particular game as finite vs infinite？ Unfortunately， he stayed mostly in the realm of polemic， implying at every turn that infinite players are morally superior to finite players。 Which I didn’t feel like he backed up enough to be truly convincing。 。。。more
John Trupiano
，
This came highly recommended by my friends in the modern hippie / intentional community。 Sadly I was disappointed。 Most of it was gibberish or too-cute-by-a-thousand plays on language。 I wanted more advice， more justification for why the author was exploring this dichotomy of finite vs。 infinite games。 The book carries an undercurrent of "you should be playing infinite games" but fails to provide any argument for why。 It seems valuable to understand the distinction， and to be able to determine h This came highly recommended by my friends in the modern hippie / intentional community。 Sadly I was disappointed。 Most of it was gibberish or too-cute-by-a-thousand plays on language。 I wanted more advice， more justification for why the author was exploring this dichotomy of finite vs。 infinite games。 The book carries an undercurrent of "you should be playing infinite games" but fails to provide any argument for why。 It seems valuable to understand the distinction， and to be able to determine how others are approaching a given activity/engagement。 But even considering it from this perspective seems to run counter to the infinite ideology described therein。 So mostly I'm just confused。 。。。more
George
，
good short book that hammers down the idea of living infinitely。you get really really sick of the zen paradox sentence structure。took some good stuff out of it。
Josh Maher
，
A collection of aphorisms based on a finite view of the world。
Spencer
，
2% compelling insights。 98% disappointing metaphysical sophistry。 This is the fusion of machiavelli's and jordan peterson's ideas & worldviews written in the overconfident and evidence-free style of taleb。 at least it's short。 2% compelling insights。 98% disappointing metaphysical sophistry。 This is the fusion of machiavelli's and jordan peterson's ideas & worldviews written in the overconfident and evidence-free style of taleb。 at least it's short。 。。。more
Mai Mislang
，
“A prediction is but an explanation in advance。” Amazing！
Dr Aneez A
，
Reading tip: read only the 1st chapter， rest is 💨bs
Tindell Lockett
，
"I am touched， and I respond from my genius。 Something has begun。 But in touching， you are also touched。 Something has begun between us。 " "I am touched， and I respond from my genius。 Something has begun。 But in touching， you are also touched。 Something has begun between us。 " 。。。more
Spencer Linton
，
Such an ugly book but a must read in my opinion。 I deducted a star because at times it’s a bit convoluted and redundant， but overall it offers an incredibly unique world philosophy that I resonate with。 The final few pages that focus on myth were not doing it for me though。 Excellent read for those who hate the rat race life is。
Jeremy Young
，
NYU Religion prof outlines his personal worldview by dichotomizing between "finite" and "infinite" games。 I see why this is comes highly recommended by some really interesting people， but I think it could have been more effective by being less New Age。 It is a short and worthwhile read， just very much on the metaphysical side of things。 NYU Religion prof outlines his personal worldview by dichotomizing between "finite" and "infinite" games。 I see why this is comes highly recommended by some really interesting people， but I think it could have been more effective by being less New Age。 It is a short and worthwhile read， just very much on the metaphysical side of things。 。。。more
Adrian Woods
，
Lazy and vague existential reflections。
Todd Cheng
，
A framework of competitionThe short book could have been shorter。 The thought model was a catalog of competition in life， activities， abs goals。 These can be set in a term goal ‘finite’ or as goals that provide more value in their seeking like art that can be ‘infinite。’ That summed up the theory。 The rest was to link a diversity of examples into one of the two categories in playful philosophical wording。 Though many parts are smooth and eloquent it did not resonate in my thoughts。
Neil Fitzgerald
，
Read this in the course of a few hours on an （unemployed） Thursday afternoon。 A little better than I expected， but not as good as the hype made me believe。The “infinite game” idea as a motivation for aesthetics is at least interesting。 Some other sections （especially on sex and nature） seemed like more of a stretch。I’m happy I read it， on the whole; it was short， and now I know what people are talking about。 Even if I agree with very little of this upon reflection， at least it’s substantive enou Read this in the course of a few hours on an （unemployed） Thursday afternoon。 A little better than I expected， but not as good as the hype made me believe。The “infinite game” idea as a motivation for aesthetics is at least interesting。 Some other sections （especially on sex and nature） seemed like more of a stretch。I’m happy I read it， on the whole; it was short， and now I know what people are talking about。 Even if I agree with very little of this upon reflection， at least it’s substantive enough to be the starting point for a useful discussion。 。。。more
Pawan Sasanka
，
a meta-book making you look at everything from a lens of finite games and what the motivations for such players involved in these games are。 Probably will need a few re-reads to really grasp the intention though
Rafael
，
quite good。 written in an axiomatic style， it examines the differences between those who play to win titles， cash and prizes， and those who play for the continuation of play itself。 most readable philosophy i've seen in years， leavened with original AND historically consequential first principles。most germane to power and its disjunction， the compact （120 pages） yet moderately complex text reminds me stylistically of a more imaginative Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus。 neatly and sophist ically ex quite good。 written in an axiomatic style， it examines the differences between those who play to win titles， cash and prizes， and those who play for the continuation of play itself。 most readable philosophy i've seen in years， leavened with original AND historically consequential first principles。most germane to power and its disjunction， the compact （120 pages） yet moderately complex text reminds me stylistically of a more imaginative Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus。 neatly and sophist ically expands upon cultural precepts that you share。 on the minus side， it is as cognitive and concentrative as you'd expect from an NYU professor but not unreadable by any means like so much philosophy。 several references to the Cold War are outdated， but they are scattered and easily overlooked。 。。。more
Charles Korb
，
I think there is definitely some interesting philosophy in here that boils down to "if you live your life like it is a game to win， you are not really living" but it didn't jive with me the way I hoped it would。 SAL Book bingo square: recommended by a friend I think there is definitely some interesting philosophy in here that boils down to "if you live your life like it is a game to win， you are not really living" but it didn't jive with me the way I hoped it would。 SAL Book bingo square: recommended by a friend 。。。more
Vincent Viitala
，
Amazing tool of thinking anything。
Garrett Mikulka
，
I’ll start by saying this is a fine book that has much to say。 Well worth the time。 So much in it is compelling and useful。 I think， however， that it will be more helpful to express where I disagree than where I agree。 There is an assumption， never directly stated （I don’t think） but clearly implied: infinite games are good。 This is not to say that finite games are necessarily bad。 I would modify this assumption a bit: neither finite nor infinite games are necessarily good or bad。 Based on Carse I’ll start by saying this is a fine book that has much to say。 Well worth the time。 So much in it is compelling and useful。 I think， however， that it will be more helpful to express where I disagree than where I agree。 There is an assumption， never directly stated （I don’t think） but clearly implied: infinite games are good。 This is not to say that finite games are necessarily bad。 I would modify this assumption a bit: neither finite nor infinite games are necessarily good or bad。 Based on Carse’s definitions， I agree with his conclusion that infinite players have no enemies， but I think they can potentially have victims， and that’s worth considering。 Second， I disagree with the book’s central idea that finite games can be played within infinite games but not the other way around。 Though he gave Christ a fair amount of attention in the book， he never seemed to grapple with the most basic idea of the incarnation （even if only as a philosophical principle）: that the finite can contain the infinite。 This is where I think Carse’s view of religion as being made of boundaries and thus antithetical to infinite games became a problematic idea。 I’m more inclined to see “freedom” from boundaries as an impossible concept， thus making the question not “are you bound？” but “by what are you bound？” I think Carse often depicts what we might call “alternatives to finitude” as though they are not themselves exclusionary principles。 What， after all， is adaptability or travel or improvisation （ideas discussed in relation to infinitude） but the rejection or rigidity， being stationary， or playing by a script？ Rejecting those is to create a boundary。 That is not to say that the conclusions Carse draws from this， in my opinion， flawed assumption are not useful。 In many cases， I think Carse is quite correct in his assessments， but that only goes to show the “freedom” that can exist within well-placed boundaries， how the infinite can actually be most itself only within finitude。 I actually think taking a book like this seriously， which it ought to be， requires this kind of philosophical realignment。 This book must be finite: its grammar， its materiality， its production being contingent on profits margins， etc。 If it says anything about the infinite at all， then we have ourselves a paradox。 Perhaps a more Derridian idea can get us closer: the finite and the infinite are mutually dependent while totally irreconcilable。 Nonetheless， Carse does much to define the finite and the infinite， though I disagree with his understanding of the relationship between the two。 Overall， a great book。 Lots to say on power， language， and society vs culture。 In my opinion， the book is in no way disqualified by its oversights。 。。。more
Khaled
，
It was a difficult read。。 The ideas are interesring but the continous jumping from the two forms of games caused me a literal headache。。
David
，
Lots to unpackA book that I could read 100 times and still learn new things every time。 There’s some great metaphors in here that I’ll continue to refer back to。
Vijeta
，
I like the "infinite game" concept as in a "game" that is less achievement focused and more about inner growth without a final goal in mind。 It is a useful way to think about your achievement vs overall life direction。 I'm always striving to complete the next goal。 Maybe i need to reassess and think about what is my infinite game。 The book focuses on semantics and I felt like I had to reread everything twice to attempt to understand the redefinition of words and grok the concepts。 I'm glad it wa I like the "infinite game" concept as in a "game" that is less achievement focused and more about inner growth without a final goal in mind。 It is a useful way to think about your achievement vs overall life direction。 I'm always striving to complete the next goal。 Maybe i need to reassess and think about what is my infinite game。 The book focuses on semantics and I felt like I had to reread everything twice to attempt to understand the redefinition of words and grok the concepts。 I'm glad it was short。 。。。more
Riley Brown
，
Fire book。 Opened up my mind to thinking of the world in systems and games。
Anuraag
，
Life's play is happening at each and every moment ， no matter what the imagined-character-that-you-call-I is apparently doing。Your True nature can play with each moment and be the joy that is inherent in it。Each moment is an opportunity and an open invitation to play the infinite game of living。https://intuitiontree。substack。com/p/。。。 Life's play is happening at each and every moment ， no matter what the imagined-character-that-you-call-I is apparently doing。Your True nature can play with each moment and be the joy that is inherent in it。Each moment is an opportunity and an open invitation to play the infinite game of living。https://intuitiontree。substack。com/p/。。。 。。。more
Michael Huang
，
The notion itself is a good one: a finite game is played for the purpose of wining， an infinite game for the purpose off continuing the game。 But the treatise itself is full of sloppy theology-speak: long strings of non-rigorous deductions that resemble what Danial Dennett calls “intuition pump”。
Terry Grennon
，
If you want to do anything right then look beyond the rules。 Focus on a horizon and make your own moves beyond the rules to get you closer to that horizon。
Kanaan Hardaway
，
This book swings "pendulumatically" between deep insights--that I have marked and will reflect on for a while--and explorations of clouds--by which I mean vapor-like， nebulous abstractions that I cannot figure out。 By the end I would estimate the useful abstractions defeat the confusing abstractions in the finite game of this book。 The takeaways of Finite and Infinite Games are metaphors for how we interact with the world。 Are we machines？ Are we gardeners？ Do we choose what we do to expedite th This book swings "pendulumatically" between deep insights--that I have marked and will reflect on for a while--and explorations of clouds--by which I mean vapor-like， nebulous abstractions that I cannot figure out。 By the end I would estimate the useful abstractions defeat the confusing abstractions in the finite game of this book。 The takeaways of Finite and Infinite Games are metaphors for how we interact with the world。 Are we machines？ Are we gardeners？ Do we choose what we do to expedite the coming of the end of our journeys or to enjoy the journeys？ Do we live for ourselves， or do we live for others？ And which brings more joy？（Apparently， "pendulumatically" is not recognized as a word and is unnecessary to the coherence of my sentence， but I like the ring to it and so it stays）。 。。。more
Laurie Mercer
，
Read this after hearing a podcast from wirred cofounder Kevin Kelly。 Half the book is genius quotes that make you think about life in a different way。 The other half is confusing sophistry。 Loved all of it。
Austin
，