← Back to Concept Index
politics-as-theatricality
Politics is described as a theatrical performance with scripted roles and predictable outcomes, where conflicts and heroism are contingent on mutual recognition and complicity.
1 chapter across 1 book
Finite and Infinite Games (1986)James P. Carse
Chapter 8
This chapter explores the fundamental nature of human existence as inherently relational and fluid, emphasizing that no one can play a game or be human alone. It contrasts finite games, which have fixed boundaries and societal constraints, with infinite games, characterized by continuous change, freedom, and open-endedness. The chapter further distinguishes society as a finite game with rigid structures and culture as an infinite game that embraces freedom, fluidity, and ongoing transformation.