Finite and Infinite Games

Finite and Infinite Games PDF Author: James Carse
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1451657293
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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Book Description
“There are at least two kinds of games,” states James 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.

Finite and Infinite Games

Finite and Infinite Games PDF Author: James Carse
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1451657293
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 256

Get Book

Book Description
“There are at least two kinds of games,” states James 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.

The Infinite Game

The Infinite Game PDF Author: Simon Sinek
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0735213526
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
From the New York Times bestselling author of Start With Why and Leaders Eat Last, a bold framework for leadership in today’s ever-changing world. How do we win a game that has no end? Finite games, like football or chess, have known players, fixed rules and a clear endpoint. The winners and losers are easily identified. Infinite games, games with no finish line, like business or politics, or life itself, have players who come and go. The rules of an infinite game are changeable while infinite games have no defined endpoint. There are no winners or losers—only ahead and behind. The question is, how do we play to succeed in the game we’re in? In this revelatory new book, Simon Sinek offers a framework for leading with an infinite mindset. On one hand, none of us can resist the fleeting thrills of a promotion earned or a tournament won, yet these rewards fade quickly. In pursuit of a Just Cause, we will commit to a vision of a future world so appealing that we will build it week after week, month after month, year after year. Although we do not know the exact form this world will take, working toward it gives our work and our life meaning. Leaders who embrace an infinite mindset build stronger, more innovative, more inspiring organizations. Ultimately, they are the ones who lead us into the future.

The Great Mental Models, Volume 1

The Great Mental Models, Volume 1 PDF Author: Shane Parrish
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0593719972
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Discover the essential thinking tools you’ve been missing with The Great Mental Models series by Shane Parrish, New York Times bestselling author and the mind behind the acclaimed Farnam Street blog and “The Knowledge Project” podcast. This first book in the series is your guide to learning the crucial thinking tools nobody ever taught you. Time and time again, great thinkers such as Charlie Munger and Warren Buffett have credited their success to mental models–representations of how something works that can scale onto other fields. Mastering a small number of mental models enables you to rapidly grasp new information, identify patterns others miss, and avoid the common mistakes that hold people back. The Great Mental Models: Volume 1, General Thinking Concepts shows you how making a few tiny changes in the way you think can deliver big results. Drawing on examples from history, business, art, and science, this book details nine of the most versatile, all-purpose mental models you can use right away to improve your decision making and productivity. This book will teach you how to: Avoid blind spots when looking at problems. Find non-obvious solutions. Anticipate and achieve desired outcomes. Play to your strengths, avoid your weaknesses, … and more. The Great Mental Models series demystifies once elusive concepts and illuminates rich knowledge that traditional education overlooks. This series is the most comprehensive and accessible guide on using mental models to better understand our world, solve problems, and gain an advantage.

Breakfast at the Victory

Breakfast at the Victory PDF Author: James P. Carse
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0061860166
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 238

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Book Description
"This was true mystical vision. This I could never have anticipated. But I knew that we were both on the same galactic journey into the great void that contains us all. I was standing before a boundlessness that could swallow the stars in a heartbeat."--from Breakfast at the Victory

Together Is Better

Together Is Better PDF Author: Simon Sinek
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1591847850
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 162

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Book Description
Simon Sinek sparked a movement with his bestsellers START WITH WHY and LEADERS EAT LAST. Now this beautifully illustrated book will inspire more readers to ask for help, help others, and discover their own courage through a charming story about change. Life is a series of choices. Do we go left or right? Jump forward or hold back? Sometimes our choices work out for the better…and sometimes they don’t. But there is one choice, regardless of every other decision, that profoundly affects how we feel about our journey: Do we go alone or do we go together? It is the courageous few who ask for help. It is the giving few willing to help others. We can all find the courage we need and know the joy of service – the minute we learn that together is better. Filled with inspiring quotes, this richly illustrated fable tells a delightful story of three kids who go on a journey to a new playground and take a stand for what they believe. The story is a metaphor for anyone looking to make a change or wondering how to pursue their dreams. And the message is simple: relationships – real, human relationships – really, really matter. The stronger our relationships, the stronger the bonds of trust and cooperation, the more we can accomplish and the more joy and fulfillment we get from our work and personal lives. The three heroes are archetypes who represent us all at various points in our lives. Their main challenge is the same one we face every day: How can we find the things we’re looking for? According to Sinek, if we each do our part to help advance a shared vision, we can build the world we imagine. In addition to the story itself, Sinek shares such profound lessons as: · A team is not a group of people that work together. A team is a group of people that trust each other. · Fight against something and we focus on the thing we hate. Fight for something and we focus on the thing we love. · Working hard for something we don’t care about is called stress. Working hard for something we love is called passion. · A star wants to see himself rise to the top. A leader wants to see those around him become stars. Together is Better was designed to be given as a gift to someone you want to inspire, or to say thank you to someone who inspires you. It's completely different from Sinek's previous work. It may look like a children's book, but it's definitely for adults. This book includes a special page featuring the Scent of Optimism.

Finite Versus Infinite

Finite Versus Infinite PDF Author: Cristian S. Calude
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1447107519
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 376

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Book Description
The finite - infinite interplay is central in human thinking, from ancient philosophers and mathematicians (Zeno, Pythagoras), to modern mathe matics (Cantor, Hilbert) and computer science (Turing, Godel). Recent developments in mathematics and computer science suggest a) radically new answers to classical questions (e. g. , does infinity exist?, where does infinity come from?, how to reconcile the finiteness of the human brain with the infinity of ideas it produces?), b) new questions of debate (e. g. , what is the role played by randomness?, are computers capable of handling the infinity through unconventional media of computation?, how can one approximate efficiently the finite by the infinite and, conversely, the infinite by finite?). Distinguished authors from around the world, many of them architects of the mathematics and computer science for the new century, contribute to the volume. Papers are as varied as Professor Marcus' activity, to whom this volume is dedicated. They range from real analysis to DNA com puting, from linguistics to logic, from combinatorics on words to symbolic dynamics, from automata theory to geography, and so on, plus an incursion into the old history of conceptions about infinity and a list of philosophical "open problems". They are mainly mathematical and theoretical computer science texts, but not all of them are purely mathematical.

The Infinite Game

The Infinite Game PDF Author: Niki Harré
Publisher: Auckland University Press
ISBN: 1775589862
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 246

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Book Description
Whether we are competing for a job, building a business or championing a good cause, some days it can feel as if we are trapped in an endless competition for status, wealth or attention. Maybe if we learn to play the game and follow the rules we’ll come out on top. But is life really a finite game – a game of selection and rules, winners and losers, players and spectators? In The Infinite Game, Niki Harré asks us to imagine our world anew. What if we are all part of a different type of game entirely – a game in which playing matters more than winning, a game that anyone can join at any time, a game in which rules evolve as new players turn up – an infinite game? Harré looks at our society (are people pawns or participants?) and ourselves (what kind of player would you like to be?) to offer an inspiring vision of how we might live well together. Deeply informed by psychological research and a life of social activism, Niki Harré’s provocative book teaches us all how we might live life as an infinite game.

Automata, Logics, and Infinite Games

Automata, Logics, and Infinite Games PDF Author: Erich Grädel
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3540363874
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 392

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Book Description
A central aim and ever-lasting dream of computer science is to put the development of hardware and software systems on a mathematical basis which is both firm and practical. Such a scientific foundation is needed especially for the construction of reactive programs, like communication protocols or control systems. For the construction and analysis of reactive systems an elegant and powerful theory has been developed based on automata theory, logical systems for the specification of nonterminating behavior, and infinite two-person games. The 19 chapters presented in this multi-author monograph give a consolidated overview of the research results achieved in the theory of automata, logics, and infinite games during the past 10 years. Special emphasis is placed on coherent style, complete coverage of all relevant topics, motivation, examples, justification of constructions, and exercises.

Theory of Finite and Infinite Graphs

Theory of Finite and Infinite Graphs PDF Author: Denes König
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1468489712
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 430

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Book Description
To most graph theorists there are two outstanding landmarks in the history of their subject. One is Euler's solution of the Konigsberg Bridges Problem, dated 1736, and the other is the appearance of Denes Konig's textbook in 1936. "From Konigsberg to Konig's book" sings the poetess, "So runs the graphic tale . . . " 10]. There were earlier books that took note of graph theory. Veb len's Analysis Situs, published in 1931, is about general combinato rial topology. But its first two chapters, on "Linear graphs" and "Two-Dimensional Complexes," are almost exclusively concerned with the territory still explored by graph theorists. Rouse Ball's Mathematical Recreations and Essays told, usually without proofs, of the major graph-theoretical advances ofthe nineteenth century, of the Five Colour Theorem, of Petersen's Theorem on I-factors, and of Cayley's enumerations of trees. It was Rouse Ball's book that kindled my own graph-theoretical enthusiasm. The graph-theoretical papers of Hassler Whitney, published in 1931-1933, would have made an excellent textbook in English had they been collected and published as such. But the honour of presenting Graph Theory to the mathe matical world as a subject in its own right, with its own textbook, belongs to Denes Konig. Low was the prestige of Graph Theory in the Dirty Thirties. It is still remembered, with resentment now shading into amuse ment, how one mathematician scorned it as "The slums of Topol ogy.""

The Infinite Board Game

The Infinite Board Game PDF Author: W. Eric Martin
Publisher: Workman Publishing Company
ISBN: 9780761185154
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Infinite games, infinite fun, infinite possibilities. The Infinite Board Game—meticulously edited and curated by W. Eric Martin, a widely respected figure in the gaming world—combines a complete, custom-designed 56-part piecepack system with a full-color book containing instructions for 50 of the liveliest games to play. Designed by James Kyle to be for board games what a deck of cards is for card games, the piecepack system is a 56-piece gaming set that can be used to play hundreds and hundreds of board games, both classic and newly created. A piecepack includes dice, pawns, tiles, and coins and is already an online phenomenon among gamers. It’s the perfect kit for game night with friends, for families, for board game lovers of all ages. There are classic games: Checkers and a version of the ancient Indian game Pachisi. Games for one: Piece Gaps, Landlocked, Crocodile Hop, and Fuji-san—possibly the most entertaining way to kill 15 minutes by yourself. Plus, destroy the enemy in Sea Battle; play the part of a corporate bigwig in Takeover; and get the adrenaline going with Moto-X. You can also go online to join the piecepack community and discover hundreds more games to play.