Play and Politics

Colby Cook
Dr. Natalie Alexander, Faculty Mentor

In a post-metaphysical conception of the world with no foundations, must we abandon rationality as we know it? This is the question John Caputo raises, and contends reason is not undone by the lack of metaphysics, but rather liberated through the idea of "play". "Play" is rather abstract, as it can be described as a mode of thought wherein rationality occurs at the same time as a critique of that rationality. This paper therefore explores the idea of "play" in Nietzschean terms in an effort to better conceptualize what exactly Caputo means. I argue that Nietzsche's affinity for the aesthetic and his corresponding positions in philosophy offer a unique and illustrative approach to understanding "play". Finally, I place this Nietzschean conception of "play" in the political realm to further shed light on its performance and importance. 

Keywords: Friedrich Nietzsche, John Caputo, Post-metaphysics, metaphysics, rationality, reason

Topic(s):Philosophy & Religion

Presentation Type: Oral Presentation

Session: TBA
Location: TBA
Time: TBA