Íslenskt mál og almenn málfræði - 13.07.1981, Page 241

Promises and Games
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of applying the rules fairly in particular cases, rather than specifying
them by one’s decisions.
III
I now want to distinguish four different contexts relevant to games in
which the question ‘what is the point of it?’ can be asked. My reason
for asking this question should soon become apparent.
(1) One may ask what the point of having the game of chess is, and
the answer might be that the point of it is amusement, rather than im-
provement of the mind, public utility, or physical fitness. In a similar
fashion it may be argued that it is the utility of the practice that justifies
the “practice of promises”.
(2) One may ask about the game itself what its point is, and the answer
might be that it is a competitive game, and that the aim is to check-
mate your opponent’s King. The ‘promising game’ is not a competitive
game, and therefore does not have a point in this sense.
(3) It may be asked what the point of playing the game on a particular
occasion is, and the answer to that may be that you want to annoy your
wife who just cannot stand seeing you and your friend sitting for hours
on end, playing chess in front of the fire. But the point of your action
is not determined by rules of the game, but by considerations extemal
to the game. In this case, it just so happens that your chess-playing
annoys your wife, and you want to annoy her. Promises, likewise, can
be made and kept for a variety of ulterior motives, so there is an ana-
logy here, however unilluminating it may be.
(4) One may ask what the point of a particular move within the game
is. This may be answered in terms of the countering of your opponent’s
attack, with a view to obtaining a draw. You need not always play to
win, although presumably you would, in normal circumstances, be
pleased if you did win, even when you are playing for a draw.
This is often forgotten: each promise is made with a particular point,
and that point is, generally speaking, in the case of ordinary promises
between individuals, to do something for the promisee, although the
Promisee’s aim in extracting the promise may be to secure the promisers
°wn good. This is the point, even of a false promise, though the prom-
iser has no intention of keeping the promise, for the maker of a false