Play in Philosophy and Social Thought

Play in Philosophy and Social Thought PDF Author: Henning Eichberg
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0429838697
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 358

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Book Description
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.

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
ISBN: 0791494152
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 348

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Book Description
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.

The Philosophy of Play

The Philosophy of Play PDF Author: Emily Ryall
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136269916
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 218

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Book Description
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.

Games

Games PDF Author: C. Thi Nguyen
Publisher:
ISBN: 0190052082
Category : Games & Activities
Languages : en
Pages : 253

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Book Description
Games are a unique art form. They do not just tell stories, nor are they simply conceptual art. They are the art form that works in the medium of agency. Game designers tell us who to be in games and what to care about; they designate the player's in-game abilities and motivations. In other words, designers create alternate agencies, and players submerge themselves in those agencies. Games let us explore alternate forms of agency. The fact that we play games demonstrates something remarkable about the nature of our own agency: we are capable of incredible fluidity with our own motivations and rationality. This volume presents a new theory of games which insists on games' unique value in human life. C. Thi Nguyen argues that games are an integral part of how we become mature, free people. Bridging aesthetics and practical reasoning, he gives an account of the special motivational structure involved in playing games. We can pursue goals, not for their own value, but for the sake of the struggle. Playing games involves a motivational inversion from normal life, and the fact that we can engage in this motivational inversion lets us use games to experience forms of agency we might never have developed on our own. Games, then, are a special medium for communication. They are the technology that allows us to write down and transmit forms of agency. Thus, the body of games forms a "library of agency" which we can use to help develop our freedom and autonomy. Nguyen also presents a new theory of the aesthetics of games. Games sculpt our practical activities, allowing us to experience the beauty of our own actions and reasoning. They are unlike traditional artworks in that they are designed to sculpt activities - and to promote their players' aesthetic appreciation of their own activity.

Foundations of Hegel's Social Theory

Foundations of Hegel's Social Theory PDF Author: Frederick NEUHOUSER
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674041453
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 351

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Book Description
This study examines the philosophical foundations of Hegel's social theory by articulating the normative standards at work in his claim that the central social institutions of the modern era are rational or good.

Normativity and Naturalism in the Philosophy of the Social Sciences

Normativity and Naturalism in the Philosophy of the Social Sciences PDF Author: Mark Risjord
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317386027
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 309

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Book Description
Normativity and Naturalism in the Social Sciences engages with a central debate within the philosophy of social science: whether social scientific explanation necessitates an appeal to norms, and if so, whether appeals to normativity can be rendered "scientific." This collection brings together contributions from a diverse group of philosophers who explore a broad but thematically unified set of questions, many of which stem from an ongoing debate between Stephen Turner and Joseph Rouse (both contributors to this volume) on the role of naturalism in the philosophy of the social sciences. Informed by recent developments in both philosophy and the social sciences, this volume will set the benchmark for contemporary discussions about normativity and naturalism. This collection will be relevant to philosophers of social science, philosophers in interested in the rule following and metaphysics of normativity, and theoretically oriented social scientists.

Philosophy Of Leisure

Philosophy Of Leisure PDF Author: Tom Winnifrith
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 1349197319
Category : Sports & Recreation
Languages : en
Pages : 182

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Book Description


Mass Communication and American Social Thought

Mass Communication and American Social Thought PDF Author: John Durham Peters
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 9780742528390
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 556

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Book Description
This anthology of hard-to-find primary documents provides a solid overview of the foundations of American media studies. Focusing on mass communication and society and how this research fits into larger patterns of social thought, this valuable collection features key texts covering the media studies traditions of the Chicago school, the effects tradition, the critical theory of the Frankfurt school, and mass society theory. Where possible, articles are reproduced in their entirety to preserve the historical flavor and texture of the original works. Topics include popular theater, yellow journalism, cinema, books, public relations, political and military propaganda, advertising, opinion polling, photography, the avant-garde, popular magazines, comics, the urban press, radio drama, soap opera, popular music, and television drama and news. This text is ideal for upper-level courses in mass communication and media theory, media and society, mass communication effects, and mass media history.

Philosophy of Social Science

Philosophy of Social Science PDF Author: Ted Benton
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1137285214
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 271

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Book Description
Philosophers and social scientists share a common goal: to explore fundamental truths about ourselves and the nature of the world in which we live. But in what ways do these two distinct disciplines inform each other and arrive at these truths? The 10th anniversary edition of this highly regarded text directly responds to such issues as it introduces students to the philosophy of social science. While staying true to the writing of the late Ian Craib, this perennial text has been brought up to date by Ted Benton. This new edition includes previously unpublished personal insights from both authors, incorporates new commentaries on classic content and features an additional chapter on recent developments in the field. The book: • Addresses critical issues relating to the nature of social science • Interrogates the relationship between social science and natural science • Encompasses traditional and contemporary perspectives • Introduces and critiques a wide range of approaches, from empiricism and positivism to post structuralism and rationalism. Written in an engaging and student-friendly style, the book introduces key ideas and concepts while raising questions and opening debates. A cornerstone text in the Traditions in Social Theory series, this book remains essential reading for all students of social theory.

The Philosophy of Social Science

The Philosophy of Social Science PDF Author: Martin Hollis
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1316101770
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 284

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Book Description
This textbook by Martin Hollis offers an exceptionally clear and concise introduction to the philosophy of social science. It examines questions which give rise to fundamental philosophical issues. Are social structures better conceived of as systems of laws and forces, or as webs of meanings and practices? Is social action better viewed as rational behaviour, or as self-expression? By exploring such questions, the reader is led to reflect upon the nature of scientific method in social science. Is the aim to explain the social world after a manner worked out for the natural world, or to understand the social world from within?