What’s the “rice and chessboard” problem, and how does it relate to the exponential growth we are seeing in the world today?

What’s the “rice and chessboard” problem, and how does it relate to the exponential growth we are seeing in the world today?

The “rice and chessboard” is an ancient story about how our linear brains are caught off-guard by exponential growth. It comes from an Indian parable about the inventor of the game of Chess.

So the story goes, the inventor of Chess presented the game to the Emperor of India, who is so impressed he offers the inventor any reward he wants. The inventor asks for a single g...