Einstein called chess a waste of time, what do you think? - Chess Forums - Page 4

Yoloswagger69 · 2017-08-28T08:28:00-07:00

As Einstein once quoted chess was a waste of time for him, he only played it to relax from his exhausting studies of physics. Do you think it is a waste?

Eseles

Aug 30, 2017

0

#61

robrobber wrote:

being incapable of living in the present without engaging any activity or thinking about the future nor the past (agitation/depression) ... the most common human trait. So they try to "waste" that which does not exist in the first place. Your question raises some philosophical debate.

I had started listening to this Alan Watts lecture about Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching. https://youtu.be/BB0_I5RTQn4

The screen shows a Lao Tzu quote:

"If you are depressed, you are livinng in the past.

If you are anxious, you are living in the future.

If you are at peace, you are living in the present."

GWTR

Aug 30, 2017

0

#62

Eseles wrote:

robrobber wrote:

being incapable of living in the present without engaging any activity or thinking about the future nor the past (agitation/depression) ... the most common human trait. So they try to "waste" that which does not exist in the first place. Your question raises some philosophical debate.

I had started listening to this Alan Watts lecture about Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching. https://youtu.be/BB0_I5RTQn4

The screen shows a Lao Tzu quote:

"If you are depressed, you are livinng in the past.

If you are anxious, you are living in the future.

If you are at peace, you are living in the present."

Watts was a big advocate of the Caro-Kann

Optimissed

Sep 2, 2017

0

#63

Elroch wrote:

I basically agree with Einstein. In any way that chess is beneficial, there are surely activities that would be more effective. It consumes time, energy and motivation without offering anything but idle amusement in return (excepting the limited possibilities of being a professional which are more a way of fooling keen players trying to justify their efforts). The deceptive attraction of chess is that it is unambiguous and precise, but it is infinitely far from unique in this respect. I think I'll play a bit of blitz now.>>>

Like I mentioned previously, I felt that school wasn't stretching my son in the right ways. He was obviously intelligent but I didn't think there was sufficient stimulus so I got him interested in chess and he became quite a local phenomenon until at the age of 13 or 14, he gave up chess entirely, for bmxing. Of course I supported this, since cycling is great fun and great exercise. He went on to get a first in maths (Mmath) and a PhD in theoretical physics. Now he's in demand as an analyst. I don't believe that this and his playing chess at a young age are unrelated. Chess is not a waste of time but it can be obsessive. It clearly wasn't obsessive in his case.

Crazychessplaya

Sep 2, 2017

0

#64

It's a waste of energy and consequently a waste of mass.

GWTR

Sep 2, 2017

0

#65

Crazychessplaya wrote:

It's a waste of energy and consequently a waste of mass.

Classic!

ishotjr

Sep 2, 2017

0

#66

chess is only a waste of time if you have something better to do, which means its not because you don't if you are trolling chess.com, besides if chess was a waste of time, it would also be a waste of space.

Ashvapathi

Sep 3, 2017

0

#67

Einstein called chess a waste of time because Lasker called Einstein relativity theory as 'wrong'. And Lasker was right that Einstein's theory was and is wrong. Chess actually has more utility than Einstein's theory because chess atleast provides entertainment and exercise to mind. On the other hand, Einstein's theory has only negative impact of stalling the understanding of physics and zero postive effects.

poodle_noodle

Sep 3, 2017

0

#68

Yoloswagger69 wrote:

Einstein called chess a waste of time what do you think?

Not everything that's productive is good.

"Now I am become death, destroyer of worlds"

But sure, chess isn't productive.

GWTR

Sep 3, 2017

0

#69

Make chess, not war

squaresun

Sep 3, 2017

0

#70

Maybe Einstein created his formula: E=mc² to mean: Entertainment = Mass (amounts of) Chess squared?

Eseles

Sep 3, 2017

0

#71

squaresun wrote:

Maybe Einstein created his formula: E=mc2 to mean: Entertainment = Mass (amounts of) Chess squared?

That makes sense! More sense than what I thought about mc=Magnus Carlen

Optimissed

Sep 3, 2017

0

#72

King_of_pawns wrote:

Define a waste of time.

Thermodynamically, a waste of time is when time does no work.

Drawgood

Sep 3, 2017

0

#73

Yea, chess is a waste of time. Many of us who play chess really enjoy it, so we play. But enjoyment of something doesn't make a time spent worthwhile.

There is another group of people. They really enjoy chess and they want everyone else to play it. Then then try to resort to all sorts of myths and pseudoscience to convince people that chess is something good for kids, good for adults, and especially the worst myth of all, that "chess makes you smart".

Goram

Sep 3, 2017

0

#74

The common idea of happiness and pleasure of folks can be very misleading.

Elroch

Sep 4, 2017

0

#75

Another way to waste time.

(While earning a living and entertaining people. Which is rarely the case with chess, to be frank!)

Elroch

Sep 4, 2017

0

#76

Optimissed wrote:

Elroch wrote:

I basically agree with Einstein. In any way that chess is beneficial, there are surely activities that would be more effective. It consumes time, energy and motivation without offering anything but idle amusement in return (excepting the limited possibilities of being a professional which are more a way of fooling keen players trying to justify their efforts). The deceptive attraction of chess is that it is unambiguous and precise, but it is infinitely far from unique in this respect. I think I'll play a bit of blitz now.>>>

Like I mentioned previously, I felt that school wasn't stretching my son in the right ways. He was obviously intelligent but I didn't think there was sufficient stimulus so I got him interested in chess and he became quite a local phenomenon until at the age of 13 or 14, he gave up chess entirely, for bmxing. Of course I supported this, since cycling is great fun and great exercise. He went on to get a first in maths (Mmath) and a PhD in theoretical physics. Now he's in demand as an analyst. I don't believe that this and his playing chess at a young age are unrelated. Chess is not a waste of time but it can be obsessive. It clearly wasn't obsessive in his case.

A very interesting post. And I say that as a Cambridge Wrangler who was very keen on chess when a teenager (I pretty much gave it up while at University).

bruce196057

Sep 4, 2017

0

#77

I think that E=mc squared is a waste of time.

Jake8x8

Sep 4, 2017

0

#78

Can something you enjoy doing be a waste of time? I guess it depends on what other things you have to occupy your time (Einstein's theory of relativity). Chess is good for the brain... even more so than engaging in pointless debate (Humperdink's theory of irrelativity)... Personally, I like surfing... good for the soul, however, each to their own... err... except for those who like backgammon they are a waste of time. OK Sarah Sarah...

squaresun

Sep 4, 2017

0

#79

Eseles wrote:

squaresun wrote:

Maybe Einstein created his formula: E=mc2 to mean: Entertainment = Mass (amounts of) Chess squared?

That makes sense! More sense than what I thought about mc=Magnus Carlen

lol Eseles, you may be correct as well! After all, isn't a "theory" in the discipline of science merely a methodology that is considered: most accurate and unchallenged? "Law" however, is irrefutable.

Eseles

Sep 4, 2017

0

#80

squaresun wrote:

Eseles wrote:

squaresun wrote:

Maybe Einstein created his formula: E=mc2 to mean: Entertainment = Mass (amounts of) Chess squared?

That makes sense! More sense than what I thought about mc=Magnus Carlen

lol Eseles, you may be correct as well! After all, isn't a "theory" in the discipline of science merely a methodology that is considered: most accurate and unchallenged? "Law" however, is irrefutable.

Even Laws can be refuted. Science is an everlasting process. It shouldn't be turned into dogma.