Homo ludens as a creator of symbolic universe

The attempt of human essence definition is undertaken in this article. It is the oldest and most urgent problem of philosophicalanthropology. There is no scientific theory today, which defines the human nature. There is no unified human definition. Each science field,which tried to define the unity and uniformity of the human nature, was doomed to a logical mistake part instead of the whole, where the humanessence was reduced to some of its manifestation. The human appears as a symbolic and playing creature. S/he increases his/her activespace. Many researchers (E. Kassirer, L. White, S. Langer) defined the human as a symbolic animal. It is the symbolic system that changedthe human life. The human acquires a unique ability - to attach symbolic significance to surrounding existence and act symbolically. The humanorganizes relations with the surroundings by making symbols, tries to make the word more intelligible and safer by using symbolic elements.Symbolism, which connects thought and order, is a unique ability of thought, with the help of which the human begins to attach symbolic sensesto surroundings (to objects, acts, texts, ideas). Symbol is a most important sign and starting element of human behaviour and civilization; it isthe basis for all the progress of human existence and human culture. Apart from this, the human is endowed with a creative, playing component,which is connected with the symbolic thought. The play is set existential to the human and accompanies him/her from birth till death: the humanexistence is not possible without plays. The play fills human life with sense, gives dynamism and energy. The Playing human finds and beginsto understand him-/herself, strives for perfection and ideal. The play finds itself in imagination, creative process of making symbols, sense perceptionof symbols, perpetual interpretation, inasmuch as any symbol has a lot of senses. The close attention to the complexity and continuity ofthe process of symbol interpretation is considered in this article. Due to this process the primary meaning is discovered and the beginning of thenew senses is given. In connection with this the human can be defined as the person playing with symbols. This definition produces the humanmore widely, because the sense creation pierces all the spheres of the human being. Nevertheless, we see here the recurrent incomplete and notexhaustive definition of the human nature, which sheds the light to one side of this difficult creature and adds knowledge about it.

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