Chess Ain’t Philosophy Mike Rappaport By Thomas A. Smith on August 19, 2006 Email this postTweet this postLike this postShare this post on LinkedIn Rousseau and Hume once played a chess game, and sadly Hume lost. In my view, Hume is as good as they come in philosophy and Rousseau is pretty bad. But neither seems too impressive on the board. (Hat tip: Marginal Revolution).