I do think that "play" is fundementally a form of "hyperspeed learning". As in, "playing" is the choice to intentionally waste precious resources like energy and time just so you can "learn" something, often something that may or may not be useful at all. What I mean is, for an animal to play, it's often like "we do not have anymore data to train ourselves on, so we will intentionally waste resources to create more data to train ourselves". In the mouse example, I think laughter is like a sign to tell everyone "we have a surplus of resources and are not in distress, we can now waste it on playing now". And in the long run, species that tend to use redundent resources to "play" tends to survive, because "playing" means "learning things that doesn't seems useful currently", but those things may potentially become useful later on. Like some cavemen might accidentally invent algebra because they were bored and playing DnD. And for modern day video games, games are fun mostly because they can trigger the "I AM LEARNING AT HYPERSPEED" feeling in the brain. The stuff being learned most likely isn't useful in most situations, but anyhow, the reaction cause games to be fun and addicting.
I loved this presentation. Thank you. I was so attracted by the anecdote about the Soviet response to the war games played by Zhukov and Pavlov that I did some background reading. The commencement of hostilities between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union is an active area of study for senior historians and fraught with contending theories about who was about to do what to whom. The incident is mythologised in many sources but this presentation of the drama is very entertaining.
Perhaps games are a combination of stories and mathematics. Mathematics helps people think. And stories help people to learn about the world and come to terms with it.
I always wished there is like, an opposite word for “Capital G Gamers”. Like, “Italicized G Gamers”? As in, **Gamers** in the opposite direction of the traditional western stereotype of “Gamers”. With the attitude of “Mario, is a game. Minecraft, is a game. Chess, is a game. Tic Tac Toe, is a game. Mario 64 A Press Challenge, is a game. The Prisoner’s Dilemma, is a game. Iterated Prisoner’s Dilemma, is a game. Game Theory, is a game. The Game, is a game, also we’ve lost.” But yeah, I feel like in the current day and age, this type of **Gamer** seems actually a lot more common than the traditional western “Capital G Gamers”. Just think about all the random video essays on RU-vid and stuff. And on the contrary, stuff like “Call of Duty” are more and more being relegated as “non-gamer games”. Stuff that’s more for the general mass media and doesn’t require years of video gaming experience to understand.
Pascal wasn't restricted from thinking about math after becoming a Christian. He just focused more energy on theology, because he thought it was a more important use of his time. That aside, this is a great presentation and very interesting!
In my mind, Pascal’s wager demonstrates the shallow nature of Christianity. It hinges on the idea that it is as Paul taught. That if you just worship God/Jesus and follow ten laws that are naturally followed even by monogamous animals, that you are a Christian. It’s why we see so many denominations and in America Christianity has been taken over by the GOP due to this very shallow requirement. They don’t follow Jesus teachings. They worship him. What is that? Idol worship. They have weaponized Jesus but they abide by Pascals Wager.
1:17 it's not only ppl that are fascinated by games . every mamal plays on one way or another, because when we play we simulate parts of reality . just watch a cat playing with wool - what it actually does is training it's hunting and killing skills - the same with us humans - but we should be careful not to make short assumtions about what we realy train: it's not killing what we train when we play ego shooter, it's about reflexes, team-play, knowing how the game mechanics work, also finding out how humans interact and so on and so forth
Monomyths, like Greek myth, Babylonian and Jewish creation myths etc are all played out in the mind. We don’t do that anymore. They had them memorized which is necessary to gather everything along the path. We are Jason, or Marduk, or Noah, or Moses, etc. We no longer access the inner template which is an inward turning, spiritual healing path.
At timestamp 2:45, that is almost certainly a board for some form of mancala (AKA manqala), a family of board games played with pits and shared stones or seeds.
False. There is no historical record of religions that have formally banned mathematics as something profane. Much less Jainism. Jainism has a historical and profound relationship with mathematics, especially in the areas of logic, number theory, and geometry. Here are some points on how Jainism views mathematics: Mathematics and Philosophy: Jains believe that mathematics is a crucial tool for understanding the universe and reality. Mathematics is seen as a way to achieve truth and mental clarity. Concepts of Infinity: Jain mathematicians explored concepts of infinity long before these were widely accepted in the West. They developed different types of infinities and addressed paradoxes related to infinity. Numbers and Counting Systems: Jain texts mention large numbers and develop advanced counting systems. They introduced concepts of large numbers and arithmetic and geometric progressions. Geometry and Astronomy: Jains made significant contributions to geometry and astronomy. They studied geometric shapes, volumes, and surfaces, and calculated astronomical parameters with notable precision. Mathematical Sutras: Jain texts such as the "Suryaprajnapti" and the "Bhagavati Sutra" contain mathematical discussions, including topics like numerical progressions, combinations, and permutations. Practical Use of Mathematics: Jains used mathematics to construct temples and icons with geometric precision. They applied mathematical principles in architecture and art. Abstract Concepts: Jain philosophy includes abstract concepts that are expressed mathematically. For example, the concept of "anekantavada" (non-absolutism) can be understood as an approach that allows for multiple perspectives, similar to the idea of variation in mathematical functions. Education and Teaching: Jain tradition highly values education, including mathematics. Jain temples often served as centers of learning where mathematics was taught along with other disciplines. Thus, Jainism not only appreciates mathematics as a practical and theoretical discipline but also integrates it deeply into its philosophy and worldview.
Lol, Pascal's Parents who were french converts to Jansenism a form of Catholicism. It's unlikely they would have known anything about Jainism, an indian religion...
@@BenTajer89 Ok. My mistake. But even Jansenism didn't ban math. It was Pascal's choice to do so. Even that is not entirly true... While he did shift his priorities, Pascal never completely abandoned his scientific and mathematical interests.
