Post by RS Davis on Apr 7, 2004 2:59:23 GMT -5
[glow=red,2,300]Kenneth Silber Wrote:[/glow] Chess is not just a mentally challenging game to play. It is also a game that generates examples and analogies relevant to a broad range of intellectual concerns. If you do a search for "chess" here at TCS, you will find, among other things, Arnold Kling's discussion of man-versus-machine chess, Lee Harris's illustration in chess terms of the difference between rational and irrational enemies, Iain Murray's likening of Russian global-warming policy to a knight's move, and a piece by me noting philosopher Daniel Dennett's evocation of chess computers in his argument for the compatibility of free will and determinism.
I am a competent chess player (unlike Kling, that is), albeit no threat to the world's grandmasters. After falling off in participation for a few years, I have recently played frequently -- perhaps a bit too frequently -- aided by the ready availability of opponents at chess websites like this. I find the game to be not only fun but also rife with philosophical implications. It reinforces certain lessons of everyday philosophy, for instance the importance of trying hard (my games vary widely in quality, depending on effort and attention) and maintaining some humility (just when I think I've gotten good, someone comes along and wipes the board with me).
Chess also provides a window into some more arcane philosophical matters. The remainder of this article will focus on two difficult, and interrelated, questions. The first has to do with the nature of reality; the second is about the prospects for human and artificial intelligence in grappling with reality. In both cases, the search for an answer leads through a board game with 32 pieces and 64 squares.
I am a competent chess player (unlike Kling, that is), albeit no threat to the world's grandmasters. After falling off in participation for a few years, I have recently played frequently -- perhaps a bit too frequently -- aided by the ready availability of opponents at chess websites like this. I find the game to be not only fun but also rife with philosophical implications. It reinforces certain lessons of everyday philosophy, for instance the importance of trying hard (my games vary widely in quality, depending on effort and attention) and maintaining some humility (just when I think I've gotten good, someone comes along and wipes the board with me).
Chess also provides a window into some more arcane philosophical matters. The remainder of this article will focus on two difficult, and interrelated, questions. The first has to do with the nature of reality; the second is about the prospects for human and artificial intelligence in grappling with reality. In both cases, the search for an answer leads through a board game with 32 pieces and 64 squares.
- Rick
Searching for Bobby Fischer
is one of my favorite movies
