Authors

The article is devoted to the study of the phenomenon of play culture in the works of the German thinker, philosopher, and religious leader of the 15th century Nichiolas of Cusa, the author of the book “De ludo globi” which influenced both the representatives of the German classical philosophy and literature (Goethe, F. Schlegel) and the Russian cultural figures (Vl. Solovyov). The cardinal’s desire to solve theosophical problems with the help of exact sciences and his focus on mathematical symbols determines the specific nature of play semantics in his works. In the conversation with his interlocutors in the book Nicholas of Cusa seeks to cultivate the highest stage of human understanding in them, the mystical transintelligent contemplation, by explaining the rules and the purposes of the game. The book is the cardinal’s attempt of comprehending reality through philosophy; he uses play to teach the human mind the philosophical understanding of the cosmos, life, and God. Play symbolizes the spiritual aspirations and cognitive abilities of a person, facilitates the search for identity and the moral formation of the personality, and stimulates the spiritual and intellectual growth. In the conversation with his interlocutors Nicholas of Cusa tries to clarify the symbolic and mystical meaning of play bringing them to the understanding of play as a phenomenon of human existence. The bowling game created by the philosopher serves as an allegorical explanation of the secrets of the Universe, the relationships between people, God and the Infinite, and draws a parallel between the creative act of a man and the actions of God.

The article actualizes the concept of ludic culture and examines its specific features in the context of the Russian Renaissance of the turn of the 20th century. It explores experimental play in the form and subject matter of literary fiction, as well as in everyday behavior, the usage of literary pseudonyms, the creation of literary societies, meetings, groups; the observance of cult rituals as pretend play, perpetration of literary hoaxes – all of it based upon the provisions and statements formulated in the book Homo Ludens by J. Huizinga. Elements of play which permeated the culture at the turn of the 20th century affected all aspects of public life. It can be difficult to trace back the origin of the ludic Renaissance which stirred up the minds of artists, awakened the creative potential of writers, painters, theater workers, etc. However, it can be argued with a high degree of certainty that play culture extended its influence to other spheres of human life: economics, politics, law, sciences. Having fertilized these spheres of human activity with its creative energy, it endowed them with the potential to influence the formation and development of a talented personality. Cultural luminaries of the time did not attempt to turn play into a field of knowledge and use it analyze the behavior of other people, influence or control them. The phenomenon of play culture took on the features of spontaneity and freedom.

Despite the fact that the main ideas of P.A. Florensky were formulated more than a hundred years ago, they remain relevant to this day. Their great influence on his contemporary writers is therefore obvious. Among those, we are primarily interested in writers such as D.S. Merezhkovsky, whose work is largely congruent with the religious tenets of the philosopher, and M.A. Bulgakov, who dedicated his “cherished novel” to Yeshua Ha-Notsri, but was not considered a religious writer either in the 30s of the 20th century, or today. It is known that the two pillars of Pavel Florensky’s work were religion and mathematics, but he wasn’t the pioneer of the idea of a scientific approach to the study of the foundations of Christianity; even Nicholas of Cusa, a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, a theologian and mathematician of the 15th century, was sure that it was possible to learn to understand the grand design with the help of the exact sciences. The report attempts to reveal the manifestation (consonance) of the ideas formulated by P.A. Florensky in his books “Imaginaries in Geometry” and “Iconostasis” in the works of D. Merezhkovsky and M. Bulgakov.