Play in Philosophy and Social Thought

Play in Philosophy and Social Thought PDF

Author: Henning Eichberg

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2018-08-06

Total Pages: 266

ISBN-13: 0429838697

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

To understand play, we need a bottom-up phenomenology of play. This phenomenology highlights the paradox that it is the players who play the game, but it is also the game which makes us players. Yet what is it that plays us, when we play? Do we play the game, or does the game play us? These questions concern the relation between the playing subject and play as something larger than the individual – play as craft, play as rhythm, play between normality and otherness, even play as religion, as a sense of spiritual play between self and other. This goes deeper than the welfare-political or educational intention to make people play or play more, or to advise individuals to play in a correct and useful way. Exploring topics such as identity, otherness, and disability, as well as activities including skiing, yoga, dance and street sport, this interdisciplinary study continues the work of the late Henning Eichberg and sheds new light on the questions that play at the borders of philosophy, anthropology, and the sociology of sport and leisure. Play in Philosophy and Social Thought is a fascinating resource for students of philosophy of sport, cultural studies, sport sciences and anthropological studies. It is also a thought-provoking read for sport and play philosophers, sociologists, anthropologists, cultural studies scholars, and practitioners working with play.

The Philosophy of Play

The Philosophy of Play PDF

Author: Emily Ryall

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-04-12

Total Pages: 218

ISBN-13: 1136269916

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Play is a vital component of the social life and well-being of both children and adults. This book examines the concept of play and considers a variety of the related philosophical issues. It also includes meta-analyses from a range of philosophers and theorists, as well as an exploration of some key applied ethical considerations. The main objective of The Philosophy of Play is to provide a richer understanding of the concept and nature of play and its relation to human life and values, and to build disciplinary and paradigmatic bridges between scholars of philosophy and scholars of play. Including specific chapters dedicated to children and play, and exploring the work of key thinkers such as Plato, Sartre, Wittgenstein, Gadamer, Deleuze and Nietzsche, this book is invaluable reading for any advanced student, researcher or practitioner with an interest in education, playwork, leisure studies, applied ethics or the philosophy of sport.

Philosophy, Social Theory, and the Thought of George Herbert Mead

Philosophy, Social Theory, and the Thought of George Herbert Mead PDF

Author: Mitchell Aboulafia

Publisher: State University of New York Press

Published: 1991-01-22

Total Pages: 348

ISBN-13: 0791494152

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

This book brings together some of the finest recent critical and expository work on Mead, written by American and European thinkers from diverse traditions. For English-speaking audiences it provides an introduction to recent European work on Mead. The essays reveal the richness of Mead's thought, and will stimulate those who have thought about him from very specific vantage points (behaviorism, symbolic interactionism, pragmatism, etc.) to consider him in new ways.

How to Play Philosophy

How to Play Philosophy PDF

Author: Michael Picard

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2022-02-14

Total Pages: 249

ISBN-13: 0761873074

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Philosophy can transform your life. But the only philosophy that can save you is your own. Yet how do you find your own in an age of misinformation and unbridled spin, when truth is unfashionable and hype hyper-attractive. Where is the air needed to breathe the honest spirit of inquiry? How to Play Philosophy is a breezy array of lyrical, creative essays that explore timeless and timely ideas about who we are, how we live and what we think. MIT-trained philosopher Michael Picard gives airing to numerous philosophers from conflicting traditions and builds an intellectual background to enable readers to draw their own conclusions. Written in a spirit of free and playful inquiry, the essays were composed originally to support public participatory philosophy, or Café Philosophy, which the author has facilitated for decades. Subjects include Play it With Feeling (Desire, Stress, Anger); Games We Play (Intimacy, Loyalty, Betrayal) and Playing Fair (Values, Good, Integrity), alongside epistemological topics including Truth (Knowledge, Certainty, Objectivity) and the perennial metaphysical quandaries (Human Nature, The Sacred, God). Written for everyone interested in exploring age-old subjects in an age of disposable content, How to Play Philosophy offers playful provocations with the aim of enabling independent thinking and deeper public conversations.

Shakespeare and Social Theory

Shakespeare and Social Theory PDF

Author: Bradd Shore

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2021-08-23

Total Pages: 266

ISBN-13: 1000429784

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

This book provides a bridge between Shakespeare studies and classical social theory, opening up readings of Shakespeare to a new audience outside of literary studies and the humanities. Shakespeare has long been known as a “great thinker” and this book reads his plays through the lens of an anthropologist, revealing new connections between Shakespeare’s plays and the lives we now lead. Close readings of a selection of frequently studied plays—Hamlet, The Winter’s Tale, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Julius Caesar, and King Lear—engage with the texts in detail while connecting them with some of the biggest questions we all ask ourselves, about love, friendship, ritual, language, human interactions, and the world around us. The plays are examined through various social theories including performance theory, cognitive theory, semiotics, exchange theory, and structuralism. The book concludes with a consideration of how “the new astronomy” of his day and developments in optics changed the very idea of “perspective,” and shaped Shakespeare’s approach to embedding social theory in his dramatic texts. This accessible and engaging book will appeal to those approaching Shakespeare from outside literary studies but will also be valuable to literature students approaching Shakespeare for the first time, or looking for a new angle on the plays.

The Routledge Companion to Social Theory

The Routledge Companion to Social Theory PDF

Author: Anthony Elliott

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2009-12-04

Total Pages: 342

ISBN-13: 1135188955

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

A collection of introductory essays by an international range of contributors giving an insightful overview of classical and contemporary social theory.

Rationality and the Social Sciences (RLE Social Theory)

Rationality and the Social Sciences (RLE Social Theory) PDF

Author: S.I. Benn

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-08-21

Total Pages: 628

ISBN-13: 131765126X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

The concepts of rationality that are used by social scientists in the formation of hypotheses, models and explanations are explored in this collection of original papers by a number of distinguished philosophers and social scientists. The aim of the book is to display the variety of the concepts used, to show the different roles they play in theories of very different kinds over a wide range of disciplines, including economics, sociology, psychology, political science and anthropology, and to assess the explanatory and predictive power that a theory can draw from such concepts.

Philosophy, Social Theory, and the Thought of George Herbert Mead

Philosophy, Social Theory, and the Thought of George Herbert Mead PDF

Author: Mitchell Aboulafia

Publisher: SUNY Press

Published: 1991-01-01

Total Pages: 348

ISBN-13: 9780791403594

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

This book brings together some of the finest recent critical and expository work on Mead, written by American and European thinkers from diverse traditions. For English-speaking audiences it provides an introduction to recent European work on Mead. The essays reveal the richness of Mead's thought, and will stimulate those who have thought about him from very specific vantage points (behaviorism, symbolic interactionism, pragmatism, etc.) to consider him in new ways.

Philosophy and Social Hope

Philosophy and Social Hope PDF

Author: Richard Rorty

Publisher: Penguin UK

Published: 1999-08-26

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 0141946113

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Richard Rorty is one of the most provocative figures in recent philosophical, literary and cultural debate. This collection brings together those of his writings aimed at a wider audience, many published in book form for the first time. In these eloquent essays, articles and lectures, Rorty gives a stimulating summary of his central philosophical beliefs and how they relate to his political hopes; he also offers some challenging insights into contemporary America, justice, education and love.