Game as the basis and the factor of culture: acting-foolishness-shamanism

DOI: 10.33876/2311-0546/2021-54-2/198-213

Abstract

The article examines the relationship of three phenomena that exist in people's lives as varieties of a game. In fact, many other aspects of life can exist in this way. The three phenomena studied in this work – acting, foolishness, and shamanism – represent the game as a behavioral system and one of the important principles of the interpersonal relationships. However, despite their uniqueness, they somehow imply the game either as pretense or duplicity. The study is based on the idea introduced by the outstanding Dutch historian and cultural critic I. Heizinga and described in the book “Homo ludens”. He analyzes the game nature of culture and proclaims the universality of the game as one of the important components of human civilization. According to I. Heizinga, the ability to act and be the subject of the game makes us humans. And that is why everything that one does in everyday life is placed in the cultural content. The famous Russian philosopher Lev Losev wittily wrote: “After expulsion from from paradise people live playing”.

For Citation: Zarinov, I.Yu. 2021. Game as the basis and the factor of culture: acting-foolishness-shamanism. Herald of Anthropology (Vestnik Antropologii) 2: 198-213.

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