[iDC] Michael Jackson and the death of macrofame

[Mechthild Schmidt]

Armin,

I made the comment in reference to the notion of play  as (quote  
Davin:) "distinct from "ordinary life" (Huizinga), and that it  
constitutes an "occasion of pure waste" (Caillois)"

... as not pure waste but quite opposite: an ideal state of mind to  
achieve in the balance of ratio and emotion
  in their search for truth, beauty, art  (in context of Schiller's  
admiration for Ancient Greek culture);
such 'play'  as an artist lost in their work, a writer, a philosopher  
- different from 'play' as in gambling (Glücksspiel).

Best,

Mechthild Schmidt






On Jun 26, 2009, at 9:37 PM, Armin B. Wagner wrote:

> Am 26.06.2009 um 17:15 schrieb Mechthild Schmidt:
>
>> Is this an inappropriate response of a lurker who enjoys the
>> conversations but never finds the time herself to contribute? The
>> thought crossed my mind. But here is my 'Twitter' comment on play-
>> labour (The footnote alone exceeded Twitter - apology for the trim)
>>
>> Go dance. Empty your mind. Read Schiller[1] on Play and Truth. Go
>> dance.
>>
>> [1] Friedrich Schiller: Über die ästhetische Erziehung des Menschen.
>> Reclam Nr.8994 [2] 1977, 14. Brief
>
>  From the 15th letter:
>
> "But perhaps the objection has for some time occurred to you, Is not
> the beautiful degraded by this, that it is made a mere play? and is it
> not reduced to the level of frivolous objects which have for ages
> passed under that name?"
> [...]
> "...we must not indeed think of the plays that are in vogue in real
> life, and which commonly refer only to his material state. But in real
> life we should also seek in vain for the beauty of which we are here
> speaking."
> [...]
> "Reason also utters the decision that man shall *only play* with
> beauty, and he shall *only play with beauty*."
>
> Schiller's argument is complex and ambiguous, but I am pretty sure he
> didn't imagined a Taylorization of leisure masking labour as play.
> And he wouldn't have liked TopCoder.
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