Einstein, Buddha, and Elon Musk on Chess as a Waste of Time
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Mar 1, 2025
0
#243
However I do have to agree in some manner. I would not dedicate my life to becoming a great chess player, there is so much more to do. However some people enjoy the game so much that they want to spend their whole life doing that and I can respect that. I think it’s a game and games are not a waste of time, they are important.
long_quach wrote:
People who are good or expert in one field do not get any transfer credit in another field.
Einstein > physics > pure science (not even technology)
Chess belongs in the culture section of the Dewey decimal system.
So they can shut the [bleep] up.
What does it connect to the topic?
I'm surprised this forum popped up. Maybe people are too curious I guess?
8 days ago
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#245
One of the three individuals listed in the title of this thread is a waste of space.
8 days ago
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#246
EggmanHamScrambleton wrote:
For generations, chess has been extolled as a game of kings, a true test of intellect and strategy. Yet upon closer scrutiny, the façade of chess as a worthy endeavor crumbles, revealing it to be nothing more than a colossal waste of precious time, as agreed with by the greatest geniuses in Human History:
I did as a child, but found it to be too simple to be useful in real life: a mere 8 by 8 grid, no fog of war, no technology tree, no random map or spawn position, only 2 players, both sides exact same pieces, etc.
Polytopia addresses these limitations.
Elon Musk, the visionary polymath behind SpaceX and Tesla, never ceases to amaze with his insights. Chess, in Musk's view, fails to capture the dynamism of real-world problem-solving and strategic planning. It's this ability to see the world differently, to question accepted norms and seek more complex and enriching engagements, that makes Elon Musk a true icon of our time. His critique of chess serves as yet another reminder of his extraordinary, disruptive thought process. Bravo, Elon!
Albert Einstein, the greatest genius, also held little regard for chess. His alleged assertion, "An hour spent on chess is an hour robbed from the universe's grand equation," speaks volumes about the game's true value. He saw chess not as a treasure trove of wisdom, but as a distractor from the cosmos' grand mysteries that deserved our true attention and intellectual curiosity.
But the condemnation of chess extends beyond the scientific sphere and into the realm of spiritual enlightenment. The Buddha, in the Vinaya Pitaka, explicitly warned of the potential negligence born from certain games. He admonished, "Whereas some honorable recluses and brahmins, while living on food offered by the faithful, indulge in the following games that are a basis for negligence: aṭṭhapada (a game played on an eight-row chess-board); dasapada (a game played on a ten-row chess-board)."
In essence, Buddha recognized games like chess as distractions, as snares that ensnare the mind and divert it from the path of spiritual growth and mindfulness. He understood these games to be impediments to achieving a higher state of spiritual consciousness.
Chess is not just a harmless game. It cultivates an unhealthy obsession with winning and losing, breeding egocentricity instead of intellectual growth. Furthermore, despite chess's purported complexity, its static rules and predictable outcomes raise significant doubts about its real-world applicability and value for dynamic problem-solving.
The countless hours devoted to memorizing openings, analyzing tactics, and mastering endgames could be better spent: learning a new language, exploring the limitless wonders of the natural world, perfecting a musical instrument, or delving into the serenity of meditation.
Chess, stripped bare of its unwarranted glamour, stands revealed as an empty, self-indulgent pastime. Its allure is an illusion, a mirage in the intellectual desert. The critiques—from both the realms of science and spirituality—leave no room for doubt: chess is not an enriching endeavor. It is, in its totality, an exercise in futility, a grand waste of time.
Buddha found the game a breeding ground for craving, ego-boosting, and mind-distracting nonsense. Chess was essentially a ticket to Spiritual Snoozeville, not Enlightenment Express. Then you've got Einstein, the universe's handyman, who thought chess was a sterile intellectual dead-end. It's no expanding universe or quantum field, it's just a rigid 8x8 grid with some carved figurines. He probably would've said chess is like trying to understand the cosmos by staring at a checkerboard. So, my dear pawn-pushers, instead of wasting your time on a glorified board game, why not meditate on the universe's wonders or decode the mysteries of the quantum world? Now that's what I call an OUTSTANDING move!
Generally - chess is disapproved of by most people. Or rejected.
They do not invest time in the game.
(side note: chess did not exist in Buddha's time.)
But so many activities could be seen as a 'waste of time'.
Like watching TV. Reading fiction. Drinking smoking and using drugs.
Time goes by no matter what we do or what its invested in.
Chess is both a pastime and a privilege.
And like other games and contests - there's the issue of what people are 'not' doing because they're concentrating on chess.
Parent to other parent: 'He's indoors a lot - playing chess'
Other parent: 'but that means he's not boozing or drugging'
'Gramps': 'You sure?'
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like a lot of other things chess is double-edged.
Its addictive. A lot of things are. Even work and education.
Why has Russia produced so many master chess players?
Because its cold. And there's a lot of indoor spare time. Or there was.
Chess can be introverted and isolating but its also a form of social life.
8 days ago
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#247
Get tha AI trash outta here. Elon musk is so low rated he has no real understanding chess. I will not accept even an ounce of scrutiny if not given by a player who has invested true time and thought into the game, in which most none of them will tell you this- because once you further understand the game you can see it’s true beauty.
8 days ago
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#248
Musk boasted repeatedly about being one of the world's greatest players at the game Path of Exile 2. Then he got caught cheating; not only was he not among the world's elite he wasn't even average. Not only can't money buy happiness, it can't make a crappy pc gamer mediocre.
8 days ago
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#249
Abtectous wrote:
Get tha AI trash outta here. Elon musk is so low rated he has no real understanding chess. I will not accept even an ounce of scrutiny if not given by a player who has invested true time and thought into the game, in which most none of them will tell you this- because once you further understand the game you can see it’s true beauty.
No AI used in my post except I checked on Buddha. When he lived.
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chess has many plusses but like so many things its got flip sides.
Chess could be argued to be a portal between art and science among other things.
Hard for me to comment on Musk because that could connect to politics and related ideologies.
Musk could think to himself that every hour his employees spend on chess is an hour they could have been working to increase his profits. Like all bigshots might.
But that's true for all employee free time.
TV. Time at home. 'Sleeping'. Everything.
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So we could also argue that chessplaying is an expression of freedom.
And freedom from the need for approval or to conform.
It doesn't always work out that way though.
8 days ago
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#251
badger_song wrote:
Musk boasted repeatedly about being one of the world's greatest players at the game Path of Exile 2. Then he got caught cheating; not only was he not among the world's elite he wasn't even average. Not only can't money buy happiness, it can't make a crappy pc gamer mediocre.
But regarding making money - he must have got something right.
But you're right about money 'not working out' for some.
Some of the very rich drinking or drugging or smoking themselves to early deaths.
Or dying in or around their toys. Private planes - fast cars - yachts - swimming pools.
As for Musk lying and cheating he would see that as among his privileges of wealth.
Most of us here probably have more spare time than him.
Works out that way.
More freedom. He is 'driven'.
Einstein was also a zionist and married his first cousin. she was not only his first cousin on his mothers side but also at the same time his second cousin on his fathers side. there is also evidence he abused and possibly molested her children. if it doesnt have to do with physics then i wouldn't give any credence to anything he thought or said. and musk is an idiot all around. he got rich off of government subsidies and tax loopholes.
To play chess profitably at a professional level you'd need some financial pros. More people interested in chess would lead to that. And probable misconceptions (I'm not saying the entire thing is a misconception, and there is some amount of truth to it the percentage of which I am not aware of neither is anyone) like this lead to more people. So, I still will tell people chess is not a waste of time but rather an worthy investment.
chessed103 wrote:
Einstein was also a zionist and married his first cousin. she was not only his first cousin on his mothers side but also at the same time his second cousin on his fathers side. there is also evidence he abused and possibly molested her children. if it doesnt have to do with physics then i wouldn't give any credence to anything he thought or said. and musk is an idiot all around. he got rich off of government subsidies and tax loopholes.
I might agree with the goal with which in mind your are arguing, but I totally DISAGREE with your entire argument.
In short your argument doesnt follow. Just because someone says something, and they have bad qualities, it doesn't invalidate their arguments. Facts are required for that. Just because the wisest man in the world says something doesn't mean it's true, humans make mistakes. And in a similar way, just because a really bad person says something, doesn't mean it's false. I don't see you discrediting einsteins theory of relativity.
In short: ad hominem fallacy. Your argument is directed towards the person who gave the argument and not the argument itself.
8 days ago
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#256
chessed103 wrote:
Einstein was also a zionist and married his first cousin. she was not only his first cousin on his mothers side but also at the same time his second cousin on his fathers side. there is also evidence he abused and possibly molested her children. if it doesnt have to do with physics then i wouldn't give any credence to anything he thought or said. and musk is an idiot all around. he got rich off of government subsidies and tax loopholes.
From the net. Rephrased.
That first cousin of Einstein's was his second wife Elsa.
Apparently Elsa's daughters were 22 and 17 at the time of that marriage in 1919.
They accompanied Einstein and Elsa in 1933 in the relocation of the family to the US.
The younger daughter later moved out it seems.
But the older one stayed with Einstein - including far past Elsa's death in 1936.
Ilse stayed with Einstein right up to her death from abdominal cancer in 1954.
Which was one year before Einstein's death in 1955.
Ilse continued to care for Einstein right though though. Apparently.
Einstein had a heart attack in 1948 and then developed other circulatory problems.
He apparently has living descendants from his first marriage.
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Musk got rich off government subsidies and tax loopholes?
That sounds right. But still it would be easy to underestimate a man like Musk.
Yes he does idiotic things. Gets away with it though.
8 days ago
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#257
Just because somebody is an expert, even a Sage in one field- does not mean they are in all fields.
8 days ago
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#258
Einstein was a genius mathematician- but a crap chess player. Buddha was a profound philosopher- but a crap chess player. Elon musk is a savvy entrepreneur- but a crap chess player.
8 days ago
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#259
If Elon musk devoted at least 2000 hours to studying the game in an attempt to understand it- then maybe I would think his opinion about it is worth anything.
To these arguments I want to add one that was not mentioned. Chess stands out from other games in its power to show young people that however confusing the world may appear, there is an underlying logic to it. It acts as an antidote to relativism and the evils associated with it. It has the power to curb violence in a society, at times acting as the only refuge for the impoverished and uneducated. It has the power to instantaneously bring people together of different social classes, different cultures, and different languages. It can be used by individuals to fight against addictions and all of the evils associated with them. After all, an evening spent playing chess is better than an evening spent drinking. To say that "chess is useless" is as meaningless as saying that any tool is useless. Chess has many uses and, besides that, it is a beautiful game.