To bad he did not also define "waste of time" ... what exactly is Not a waste of time? Everything is a waste of time to the extent where you have to invest time in anything you want to do ...
Einstein called chess a waste of time, what do you think?
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Einstein was in fact a good chess player ; what he meant by this, is that very intelligent individuals have dedicated their entire lives (like Kasparrov, Carlsen, Caruana, etc.) on becoming better at a game, instead of usin their potential to something more "usefull". Of course, Chess is a great game unlike any other, but at the end of the day, it's still a game.
Einstein PLAYED CHESS, Einstein.
Well Einstein used to be my hero until this moment ok if chess is a waste of time that means we have time to waste
Apr 13, 2018
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#127
Einstein may have not been the world's greatest chess player (although he did play with his mathematician friend Emmanuel Lasker who was), but if this game is anything to go by, Oppenheimer was a truly abysmal player.
Nice game! I myself am studying to become a physicist, (and also play chess!) but Einstein isn't my favorite physicist. Max Planck is my favorite: maybe he also played chess?
Apr 13, 2018
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#129
There were some fake games in the name of various celebrities that have been deleted.
AFAIK, there is only one extant verified Einstein game.
"Emanuel Lasker was undoubtedly one of the most interesting people I came to know in my later years. ... I am not a chess expert and therefore not in a position to marvel at the force of mind revealed in his greatest intellectual achievement - in the field of chess. I must even confess that the struggle for power and the competitive spirit expressed in the form of an ingenious game have always been repugnant to me. I met Emanuel Lasker at the house of my old friend, Alexander Moszkowski, and came to know him well in the course of many walks in which we exchanged opinions about the most varied questions. ... it seemed to me that chess was more a profession for him than the real goal of his life. ... the chess playing of a master ties him to the game, fetters his mind and shapes it to a certain extent so that his internal freedom and ease, no matter how strong he is, must inevitably be affected. In our conversations and in the reading of his philosophical books, I always had that feeling. ... I liked Lasker's immovable independence, a rare human attribute, in which respect almost all, including intelligent people, are mediocrities. ... I am thankful for the hours of conversation which this ever striving, independent, simple man granted me." - Einstein (1952)
Snookslayer wrote:
adrpal983 wrote:
Justs99171 wrote:
Germany lost before Japan
without the atomic bombs being dropped on Japan, they would have continued fighting to the death ........... and in that time much more American lives would have been lost.
The Japanese military considered Hiroshima and Nagasaki just more bombed out cities of which they already had plenty. They only surrendered after the Soviets defeated them in Mongolia. The bombings didn't help, but that wasn't the reason Japan surrendered. The US dropped atomic bombs mainly to flex military might to the Soviets. I ain't saying it's right or wrong, just reality.
I think you are underplaying it just a bit. An attack on the homeland killing over 200,000 of 70M people. They lost more than 1/4 of 1% of their entire population (.28%) In pearl harbor we lost 2400 people (mostly military) For scale, In 9/11 we lost 3,000 people of 280M, 1/1000th of a percent (.00107%). It had quite the impact on the community.
Any kind of mental games preserve brain function ,prevent Alzheimer disease, fight depression. And what is more, less chance of abusing drug and alcohol, gambling etc.
There are endless health benefits in playing games( persuading hobbies)
Apr 14, 2018
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#134
If he said it was a waste of time "for him" it might be like me saying ice hockey is a waste of time for me because I don't skate well and I wouldn't have the time to develop the proper skills without hurting my other activities. It wouldn't mean I thought hockey was a waste of time for Wayne Gretsky.
Einstein was an idiot.
Apr 14, 2018
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#138
Chess exercises the brain, and can help develop self-discipline. It can also create a communal environment where new social contacts can grow, especially among youth. Chess has many benefits, but one shouldn't become obsessed with it to the point of isolation from society, neglecting one's duties, or basing one's self-esteem on it. Maybe these pitfalls are what Einstein had in mind.
Snookslayer wrote:
adrpal983 wrote:
Justs99171 wrote:
Germany lost before Japan
without the atomic bombs being dropped on Japan, they would have continued fighting to the death ........... and in that time much more American lives would have been lost.
The Japanese military considered Hiroshima and Nagasaki just more bombed out cities of which they already had plenty. They only surrendered after the Soviets defeated them in Mongolia. The bombings didn't help, but that wasn't the reason Japan surrendered. The US dropped atomic bombs mainly to flex military might to the Soviets. I ain't saying it's right or wrong, just reality.
And 'atomic bombs' saved japanese monarchy. Otherwise, such abject defeat and surrender would have meant Emperor would have to perform seppuku or harakiri. If the Japanese had surrendered to Soviets, Soviets would have removed the Emperor because they were against monarchy. So, the one system that benefited from 'atomic bombs' is Japanese monarchy. This leads me to the possibility that the atomic bombs may not even have been dropped. Hiroshima & Nagasaki were already bombed to smithereens in aerial raids and Japanese cities had wood & paper houses. So, there was no need for atomic bombs to be dropped. If the Japanese and Americans both said that atomic bombs were dropped to deter Soviets from occupying Japan, then it's a win win for Japanese Emperor and America
Waste of time is waste of a relative term.