Play and Transhumanism

The connections between play and culture are wonderfully profound. Whether they are actual or not, they've led to centuries of sometimes remarkably penetrating thought. Most notably, a book called Homo Ludens in which the author, Johan Huizinga, famously attributes the source of all human culture to play. And far less notably to my book, The Well-Played Game, wherein I draw the connections between play and games to community and the pursuit of personal excellence.

Recently, our favorite musician/play theorist Pat Kane published another densely thought-provoking article, this time on the topic of Play and Transhumansim. Whether you think of the idea of transhumanism of imminent concern or as an intriguing fantasy, Pat's article helps us understand why our explorations of the evolving meaning and significance of play become increasingly relevant to personal, social and technological co-evolution.

Here's a taste:

"Yet transhumanism, it seems to me, almost transcends these familiar political uses of evolved human nature - in the sense that it asks us to squarely face our increasing ability to transform that very nature itself, intentionally and by design. And if play operates as dynamically and unpredictably in our unamended nature as I suggest, we are in a moment where we will have to begin to imagine what kinds of 'politics' or 'ethics' are possible, when play's energies are given the most powerful of chariots to drive.

from Bernie DeKoven, funsmith