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Return of the Grasshopper: Games, Leisure and the Good Life in the Third Millennium
In this sequel to Bernard Suits’ timeless classic philosophical work The Games, Life and Utopia, published in its full and unabridged form for the first time, Suits continues to explore some of our most fundamental philosophical questions, including the value of sport and games, and their relationship to the good life.
In Return of the Grasshopper, Suits puts his theoretical cards on the table, exploring the in-depth implications of his definition of utopia, assessing the merits of a gamified philosophy, and explaining how games can provide an existential balm against the fear of death. Perhaps most importantly, for the first time in print, Suits reveals his underlying that humanity is forever fated to endure a cyclical existence of privation, brought on by material scarcity, and boredom, resulting from material plenitude. An essential companion to The Grasshopper, this edition includes an introductory chapter that puts Suits’ life and work into context, helping the reader to understand why Suits has had such a profound influence on contemporary philosophy and how his ideas still provide powerful insight into the human condition.
This book is important reading for anybody with an interest in the philosophy of sport, leisure and play, political philosophy, ethics, existentialism or utopian studies.
In Return of the Grasshopper, Suits puts his theoretical cards on the table, exploring the in-depth implications of his definition of utopia, assessing the merits of a gamified philosophy, and explaining how games can provide an existential balm against the fear of death. Perhaps most importantly, for the first time in print, Suits reveals his underlying that humanity is forever fated to endure a cyclical existence of privation, brought on by material scarcity, and boredom, resulting from material plenitude. An essential companion to The Grasshopper, this edition includes an introductory chapter that puts Suits’ life and work into context, helping the reader to understand why Suits has had such a profound influence on contemporary philosophy and how his ideas still provide powerful insight into the human condition.
This book is important reading for anybody with an interest in the philosophy of sport, leisure and play, political philosophy, ethics, existentialism or utopian studies.
- GenresPhilosophy
189 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 30, 2022
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April 6, 2025
“Life is a game” is a tough argument to make but Suits does it with flair and humour. Building on the first book, he expands the scope of this claim to say we make games of our lives by accepting scarcity as a rule, but in doing so raises the question of if we would prefer a life of striving and seeking to a post scarcity utopia.
Whether this Utopia is “logically inevitable” seems like a big bone of contention in the context of today’s singularity hype. I think the more germane point is whether this utopia is socially realizable. Suits addresses this near the end and assumes, subtweeting Marx, that the ant-like imperative to accumulate will lead to post scarcity despite vested interests. I wished he took more interest in this problem but he seems to enjoy a more ideal philosophic plane.
It’s also a bit of a shame to see creative activities given short shrift. A quick look at courtly arts shows that when given few material constraints people are just as likely to dance, play music, or write poetry than to play Go, Chess, or fence. In the “End of the Future” Suits says there will still be plenty to write and sing about in the game playing Utopia, but I dont think he considers that these activities as intrinsically valuable, perhaps more like embellishments, trophies, or adornments for the victors.
Overall a fun book, perhaps a bit of copium
Whether this Utopia is “logically inevitable” seems like a big bone of contention in the context of today’s singularity hype. I think the more germane point is whether this utopia is socially realizable. Suits addresses this near the end and assumes, subtweeting Marx, that the ant-like imperative to accumulate will lead to post scarcity despite vested interests. I wished he took more interest in this problem but he seems to enjoy a more ideal philosophic plane.
It’s also a bit of a shame to see creative activities given short shrift. A quick look at courtly arts shows that when given few material constraints people are just as likely to dance, play music, or write poetry than to play Go, Chess, or fence. In the “End of the Future” Suits says there will still be plenty to write and sing about in the game playing Utopia, but I dont think he considers that these activities as intrinsically valuable, perhaps more like embellishments, trophies, or adornments for the victors.
Overall a fun book, perhaps a bit of copium
Displaying 1 of 1 review