Finite and Infinite Games

Finite and Infinite Games
by James P. Carse

Finite and Infinite Games
List Price: $7.99
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions

Book Summary Information

Author: James P. Carse
Edition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 1987-08-12
ISBN: 0345341848
Number of pages: 192
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Product features:

Book Reviews of Finite and Infinite Games

Book Review: Rethinking all that we do - in a creative way
Summary: 5 Stars

James Carse's seemingly simplistic reduction of all human life to either finite or infinite games is not so simple after all.

The ring of truth in the reduction, that games are played either toward an end with a victor or toward continuation with meaning, holds because one can easily understand its application in any setting in life. (War, love, marriage, work, religion, politics, etc.)

However, what does one do with this recognition? The reader is challenged to apply Carse's informing model into one's own life. For example, sitting on a non-profit's board one can either seek to enact one's own agenda no matter what (finite) or find, through relationships and openness, an agenda which serves a larger constiuency (infinite).

I was often reminded of Edwin Markham's little (but epic) poem:

"He drew a circle which shut me out,
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But love and I had the wit to win,
We drew a circle that took him in."

Finite and Infinite - which would you choose? Are you more about titles or inherent identity? Are you more about success or relationships?

What would a world (part of the vast infinite reality of existence) look like if it were structured on infinite games only? And isn't that, maybe, just what existence itself is trying to teach us but we haven't reach the level of spiritual complexity at which we can learn and remember that simple truth.

Summary of Finite and Infinite Games

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

General Books

Book Subjects
Most talked about in General Books
Winning Chess Tournaments for Juniors ImageWinning Chess Tournaments for Juniors
by Robert M. Snyder
Random House Puzzles & Games; Published: 2004-09-14; Paperback; Book
Best price: $662.48
How NOT to Lose at Spades, Second Edition ImageHow NOT to Lose at Spades, Second Edition
by JohnGalt Strichman
Karosa Publishing; Published: 2003-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $16.95
Price in other shops: $23.95
The Ashley Book of Knots ImageThe Ashley Book of Knots
by Clifford Ashley
Doubleday Books; Published: 1944-07; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $66.70
Price in other shops: $103.30
Harrington on Hold 'em Expert Strategy for No Limit Tournaments, Vol. 2: Endgame ImageHarrington on Hold 'em Expert Strategy for No Limit Tournaments, Vol. 2: Endgame
by Dan Harrington, Bill Robertie
Two Plus Two Pub; Published: 2005-06-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $18.37
Price in other shops: $29.95
Star Trek Encyclopedia ImageStar Trek Encyclopedia
by Michael Okuka, Denise Okuda
Simon & Schuster Interactive; Published: 1997-10-22; CD-ROM; Windows 98; Book
Best price: $19.84
Price in other shops: $31.00
Go Dog Go ImageGo Dog Go
by P. D. Eastman
MerryMakers; Published: 1997-06; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $7.97
Price in other shops: $14.00
Unbeatable Chess Lessons for Juniors [McKay Chess Library for Kids] ImageUnbeatable Chess Lessons for Juniors [McKay Chess Library for Kids]
by Robert M. Snyder
Random House Puzzles & Games; Published: 2003-11-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $39.99
You Are Special (Max Lucado's Wemmicks) ImageYou Are Special (Max Lucado's Wemmicks)
by Max Lucado
Max Lucado's; Crossway Books; Published: 2000-09; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.59
Price in other shops: $19.99
SOUL FORGE, THE (Dragonlance Saga) ImageSOUL FORGE, THE (Dragonlance Saga)
by Margaret Weis
Wizards of the Coast; Published: 1998-02-10; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $49.99
Harrington on Hold 'em Expert Strategy for No Limit Tournaments, Vol. 1: Strategic Play ImageHarrington on Hold 'em Expert Strategy for No Limit Tournaments, Vol. 1: Strategic Play
by Dan Harrington, Bill Robertie
Two Plus Two Pub.; Published: 2004-12-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $18.48
Price in other shops: $29.95
Similar Books and other products
Kinship with All Life : Simple, Challenging, Real-Life Experiences Showing How Animals Communicate with Each Other and with the People Who Understand Them ImageKinship with All Life : Simple, Challenging, Real-Life Experiences Showing How Animals Communicate with Each Other and with the People Who Understand Them
by J. Allen Boone
HarperOne; Published: 1976-01-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.95
Price in other shops: $13.99
Statistics in Plain English, 2nd Edition ImageStatistics in Plain English, 2nd Edition
by Timothy C. Urdan
Lawrence Erlbaum; Published: 2005-02-22; Paperback; Book
Best price: $24.17
Price in other shops: $29.95
Clock Of The Long Now: Time And Responsibility: The Ideas Behind The World's Slowest Computer ImageClock Of The Long Now: Time And Responsibility: The Ideas Behind The World's Slowest Computer
by Stewart Brand
Basic Books; Published: 2000-04-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.74
Price in other shops: $14.00
Dibs in Search of Self ImageDibs in Search of Self
by Virginia M. Axline
Ballantine Books; Published: 1986-06-12; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.97
Price in other shops: $6.99
The Silence of God ImageThe Silence of God
by James P. Carse
Sounds True, Incorporated; Published: 1996-05-01; Audio Cassette; Book
Best price: $157.86
Game Theory and Strategy (Mathematical Association of America Textbooks) ImageGame Theory and Strategy (Mathematical Association of America Textbooks)
by Philip D. Straffin
The Mathematical Association of America; Published: 1996-09-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $40.00
Price in other shops: $46.95
How Are We to Live?: Ethics in an Age of Self-Interest ImageHow Are We to Live?: Ethics in an Age of Self-Interest
by Peter Singer
Prometheus Books; Published: 1995-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.73
Price in other shops: $23.98
Moral Calculations : Game Theory, Logic and Human Frailty ImageMoral Calculations : Game Theory, Logic and Human Frailty
by Laszlo Mero
Springer; Published: 1998-07-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $21.36
Price in other shops: $28.00
The Religious Case Against Belief ImageThe Religious Case Against Belief
by James P. Carse
Penguin Press HC, The; Published: 2008-05-29; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $5.33
Price in other shops: $24.95
Breakfast at the Victory: The Mysticism of Ordinary Experience ImageBreakfast at the Victory: The Mysticism of Ordinary Experience
by James P. Carse
HarperOne; Published: 1995-06-24; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.27
Price in other shops: $14.99