Homo ludens revisited: a theological inquiry into being human from the perspective of Javanese children's play
This article revisits the meaning of being human as Homo ludens (the playing human), which was introduced by Johan Huizinga. Drawing on the wisdom of Javanese culture and Christian theology, especially that of Paul Tillich, and Hugo and Karl Rahner, I contribute to the Christian notion that to be hu...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic/Print Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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| Published: |
University of Toronto Press
2014
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| In: |
Toronto journal of theology
Year: 2014, Volume: 30, Issue: 2, Pages: 307-318 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | This article revisits the meaning of being human as Homo ludens (the playing human), which was introduced by Johan Huizinga. Drawing on the wisdom of Javanese culture and Christian theology, especially that of Paul Tillich, and Hugo and Karl Rahner, I contribute to the Christian notion that to be human is to play. For Javanese people in Indonesia, play is not something that only children do; rather, it can be seen as the foundation of culture. According to Tillich, human beings experience a tremendous haecceitas (this-ness) when playing. From Karl Rahner's viewpoint, in play a human expresses the fullness of Vorgriff (pre-apprehension) or radical freedom. His brother, Hugo, is of the opinion that human play prepares for the final return of the whole cosmos to God. People who cannot play become estranged from their humanity, their culture, and their quest for the Absolute. Indeed, modern-day Homo ludens has become Homo economicus, having been drawn into what Tillich calls the "threat of nonbeing" by globalization. Revisiting the meaning of play in theological anthropology opens up the possibility of becoming a better people of God in the world. |
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| ISSN: | 0826-9831 |
| Contains: | In: Toronto journal of theology
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.3138/tjt.2841 |