Aesthetic Studies Of Schiller's Theory Of Play

Play is something normal for human beings. Just as the famous Dutch scholar J.Huizinga put it, play is the reflection of culture that has always been in it. Hence, it is play that has become the focus of many thinkers of whom Schiller is the first one in the whole western aesthetic history that has specialized in it. Based on Kant's theory of play Schiller focuses on the essence of art and the play theory from a new perspective by adopting a new way of thinking.Heavily influenced by the theories of many forerunners, as Plato, Aristotle and especially Kant, Schiller's play theory has a profound philosophical basis. Through the free play of imagination and sentiments, Kant interprets beauty and aesthetics and lays stress on the freedom of the subject. That serves as the foundation of Schiller's theory of play. However, Schiller is not just an obedient disciple. He improves Kant's superficiality by making it more objective and more realistic. And furthermore Schiller also expands and enriches Kant's theory by making it more systematical.According to Schiller, freedom falls into two parts: non-aesthetic freedom and aesthetic one. Therefore, accordingly play is made up of two segments: natural play and aesthetic play, which is the real one. He believes that man embodys two contradictory and interdependent aspects, that is, state and temperament that trigger out emotional nature and rational nature. Emotional nature is something realistic whereas rational nature unrealistic. So human beings are always obsessed with the two impulses, emotional ones and rational ones. Only if man were guided by the two not by one of them, play impulses could make him become integeral, And the play could only be realized by beauty.Some scholars hold that Schiller's play theory belongs to the theory of art's origin. But from his statement we can conclude it belongs to that of art's essence.Schiller's play theory serves as a milestone but not the terminal. Many aesthetists are still working on it, among whom Gadamer stands out. He brings out many new ideas, and gives a further development of the play theory. Schiller holds the subject of a play is the one who plays it, whereas for Gadamer the subject is the play itself. Also, Schiller does not lay much stress on the active role of the audience, but Gadamer emphasizes its important position.The weak point of Schiller's play theory is that it enhances the social function of play whereas undermines its subjectivity.