I. Nature and Significance of Play As A Cultural Phenomenon
“Play is older than culture, for culture, however inadequately defined, always presupposes human society, and animals have not waited for man to teach them their playing.”
Huizinga begins by making it clear that animals played first.
One of the most significant (human and cultural) aspects of play is that it is fun. This fun aspect is celebrated by Brian Sutton-Smith in his book The Ambiguity of Play:
“Prime credit in play-theory terms for denying the puritanical and work contentions about play in modern times must go to Huizinga who argues that play is a most fundamental human function and has permeated all cultures from the beginning.”
Read more about this topic: Homo Ludens (book)
Famous quotes containing the words nature, significance, play, cultural and/or phenomenon:
“While nature thus very early and very abundantly feeds us, she is very late in tutoring us as to the proper methodization of our diet.”
—Herman Melville (1819–1891)
“To grasp the full significance of life is the actor’s duty, to interpret it is his problem, and to express it his dedication.”
—Marlon Brando (b. 1924)
“Johnny Clay: You like money. You got a great big dollar sign there where most women have a heart. So play it smart. Stay in character and you’ll have money. Plenty of it. George’ll have it and he’ll blow it on you. Probably buy himself a five-cent cigar.
Sherry Peatty: You don’t know me very well, Johnny. I wouldn’t think of letting George throw his money away on cigars.”
—Stanley Kubrick (b. 1928)
“The only justification for repressive institutions is material and cultural deficit. But such institutions, at certain stages of history, perpetuate and produce such a deficit, and even threaten human survival.”
—Noam Chomsky (b. 1928)
“This phenomenon is more exhilarating to me than the luxuriance and fertility of vineyards.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)