Degree
Master of Arts
Program
Kinesiology
Supervisor
Dr. Angela Schneider
Abstract
Play is a fundamental experience embedded within human culture. We all play in some perceptible manner that provides our lives with meaning we don’t ordinarily feel from other pursuits that are means-ended. Sport philosophers have depended upon the seminal theories of Huizinga and Caillois to shape their constraints on the play world. Huizinga’s and Caillois’ definition both use formal analysis to protect the play sphere however, their theories fail in providing justifiable reason to protect the play sphere and the meaning it has. I propose that understanding play from the perspective of existentialism provides a better way to understand its meaning and truly understand how it shapes the understanding of play, games, and sports with the field of the philosophy of sport.
Recommended Citation
Rhoden, Justin M., "The Philosophy of ‘Playing’ Games: A Lusory Introspection of the Sincere Player and the Meaning of Play Amidst the Moral Morass of Contemporary Sport" (2013). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 1644.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/1644