jmd
moderating note:
Please note that this thread begins with kwaw's post below split from the thread The Cary-Yale Visconti.
Please note that this thread begins with kwaw's post below split from the thread The Cary-Yale Visconti.
The 'Game' of Tarot: Play and Education in Plato
kwaw
The 'Game' of Tarot
lay and Education in Plato
That the game of tarot may have been devised as an educational game, concerned with teaching in play elements of moral and perhaps civic philosophy, it is perhaps relevant to consider what Plato has to say about the role of play and education in his Republic, having established it was a known and important text among the humanist milieu of the Milanese court during the relevant period of Tarots appearance and development:
Quote:
"In ancient Greece the link between play and education would seem to be quite explicit. As mentioned here by Arthur A. Krentz in his essay on “Play and Education in Plato's Republic” (Quote 5)
“The evidence for this link between education and play is considerable. L. Brandwood in his A Word Index to Plato lists over 60 citations in the Republic to the noun variants of ‘paideia’ and to the verb form ‘paideuein’ in reference to education/culture and the educational process. (13) The references to play/game(s) in its noun form — ‘paidia’ — occurs over 25 times, and in its verbal form — ‘paidzein’ — over 8 times in the Republic.”
Later in his essay he goes on to cite evidence of Plato’s republic. Here Socrates makes the point that we can learn through play and be willing participants in education, or we can be forced to learn and have to work at it. He believes that the learning gained through play will stay with us whilst the forced learning will be forgotten.
(16) Socrates, who discusses with Glaucon the importance of play in the education of the philosophical rulers in the city, states in the Republic, 7.536e-f, that:
"Well then, the study of calculation and geometry, and all the preparatory education (propaideuthenai) required for dialectic must be put before them as children (paisin), and the instruction must not be given the aspect of a compulsion to learn" (ouk hos epanagkes mathein to schema tes didaches).
"Why not?"
"Because the free man (eleutheron) ought not to learn any study slavishly. Forced labors performed by the body don't make the body any worse, but no forced (biaion) study abides in the soul."
"True," he said.
"Therefore, you best of men," I said, "don't use force (bia) in training the children (paidas) in the subjects, but rather play (paidzontas). In that way you can better discern what each is naturally directed toward."
Here Socrates presents the optimum approach to education as a non-coercive play activity in which children are to participate freely (7.536e).”
Plato also recorded Socrates when he talked of there being two types of play, that of good and bad play his belief that play which leads towards education is the good and all else is bad. Returning to Kentz he wrote upon Plato’s text.
“One is able to differentiate good and bad/base play according to whether the activity relates to the ultimate end of education, namely, the knowledge of the good and the application of that vision to day to day life in a good society. All forms of play which aim at or lead toward this objective are considered good play. On the other hand, "bad" play obscures and diverts the learner from striving toward the final goal and is to be censored from the educational experience of learners (2.376-3.412).”
The term ‘it will all end in tears’, seems to give first hand validity to the idea of good and bad play. One-minute play can be laughing and joking the next it has crossed over to tears of pain and screams of discomfort. Crossing over this ethical boundary during play is not necessarily a bad thing though. If an educational process takes place then this apparent ‘bad play’ can be turned into good play. "
Arthur A. Krentz , Play and Education in Plato's Republic: http://www.bu.edu/wcp/Papers/Educ/EducKren.htm
Quoted at:
http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:Qn-ZMUZl-NIJ:www.julianbarker.org/work/text/invesigating
Kwaw
lay and Education in PlatoThat the game of tarot may have been devised as an educational game, concerned with teaching in play elements of moral and perhaps civic philosophy, it is perhaps relevant to consider what Plato has to say about the role of play and education in his Republic, having established it was a known and important text among the humanist milieu of the Milanese court during the relevant period of Tarots appearance and development:
Quote:
"In ancient Greece the link between play and education would seem to be quite explicit. As mentioned here by Arthur A. Krentz in his essay on “Play and Education in Plato's Republic” (Quote 5)
“The evidence for this link between education and play is considerable. L. Brandwood in his A Word Index to Plato lists over 60 citations in the Republic to the noun variants of ‘paideia’ and to the verb form ‘paideuein’ in reference to education/culture and the educational process. (13) The references to play/game(s) in its noun form — ‘paidia’ — occurs over 25 times, and in its verbal form — ‘paidzein’ — over 8 times in the Republic.”
Later in his essay he goes on to cite evidence of Plato’s republic. Here Socrates makes the point that we can learn through play and be willing participants in education, or we can be forced to learn and have to work at it. He believes that the learning gained through play will stay with us whilst the forced learning will be forgotten.
(16) Socrates, who discusses with Glaucon the importance of play in the education of the philosophical rulers in the city, states in the Republic, 7.536e-f, that:
"Well then, the study of calculation and geometry, and all the preparatory education (propaideuthenai) required for dialectic must be put before them as children (paisin), and the instruction must not be given the aspect of a compulsion to learn" (ouk hos epanagkes mathein to schema tes didaches).
"Why not?"
"Because the free man (eleutheron) ought not to learn any study slavishly. Forced labors performed by the body don't make the body any worse, but no forced (biaion) study abides in the soul."
"True," he said.
"Therefore, you best of men," I said, "don't use force (bia) in training the children (paidas) in the subjects, but rather play (paidzontas). In that way you can better discern what each is naturally directed toward."
Here Socrates presents the optimum approach to education as a non-coercive play activity in which children are to participate freely (7.536e).”
Plato also recorded Socrates when he talked of there being two types of play, that of good and bad play his belief that play which leads towards education is the good and all else is bad. Returning to Kentz he wrote upon Plato’s text.
“One is able to differentiate good and bad/base play according to whether the activity relates to the ultimate end of education, namely, the knowledge of the good and the application of that vision to day to day life in a good society. All forms of play which aim at or lead toward this objective are considered good play. On the other hand, "bad" play obscures and diverts the learner from striving toward the final goal and is to be censored from the educational experience of learners (2.376-3.412).”
The term ‘it will all end in tears’, seems to give first hand validity to the idea of good and bad play. One-minute play can be laughing and joking the next it has crossed over to tears of pain and screams of discomfort. Crossing over this ethical boundary during play is not necessarily a bad thing though. If an educational process takes place then this apparent ‘bad play’ can be turned into good play. "
Arthur A. Krentz , Play and Education in Plato's Republic: http://www.bu.edu/wcp/Papers/Educ/EducKren.htm
Quoted at:
http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:Qn-ZMUZl-NIJ:www.julianbarker.org/work/text/invesigating
Kwaw
jmd
Perhaps, instead of the direction suggested by kwaw opening this fantastic thought such that:
Tarot or something similar already exists, and the neoplatonic influence furthers the syncretic impulse in presenting any occasion for moral and philosophical reflection.
I am reminded of an essay by Richard Hooker now some ten years old that, for me at least, captures an important element in the neoplatonic impulse of the early Renaissance:
Still, it is quite a jump to suggest the very propable influence of the neoplatonic impulse in presenting meaningful and significant iconography on a series of cards also intended for gaming, and, on the other hand, perhaps suggesting that the game of tarot (or trionfi) may have been devised as an educational game.
Once existing, however, I see it as 'obvious' that the syncretic and symbolic impulse of neoplatonic influence would have shaped the game to what it has become: far more than gaming deck!
"the game of tarot may have been devised as an educational game, concerned with teaching in play elements of moral and perhaps civic philosophy, it is perhaps relevant to consider what Plato has to say about the role of play and education in his Republic, having established it was a known and important text among the humanist milieu of the Milanese court during the relevant period of Tarots appearance and development"
We could consider the reverse:Tarot or something similar already exists, and the neoplatonic influence furthers the syncretic impulse in presenting any occasion for moral and philosophical reflection.
I am reminded of an essay by Richard Hooker now some ten years old that, for me at least, captures an important element in the neoplatonic impulse of the early Renaissance:
"[...] the philosophical instinct in the Italian Renaissance was to synthesize thought systems, to find a common, universal philosophy that encompasses a broad range of human thought. The greatest of these synthesizers was the Neoplatonic philosopher, Pico della Mirandola, who attempted to synthesize Platonism, Aristotelianism, Stoicism, Hebrew thought, Jewish mysticism, Arabic philosophy, and a whole host of others into a single philosophical system."
Could such an impulse have been at play in the imagery of the Visconti decks? to my mind, there is no doubt about this, as the astrological books made for the young count also show.Still, it is quite a jump to suggest the very propable influence of the neoplatonic impulse in presenting meaningful and significant iconography on a series of cards also intended for gaming, and, on the other hand, perhaps suggesting that the game of tarot (or trionfi) may have been devised as an educational game.
Once existing, however, I see it as 'obvious' that the syncretic and symbolic impulse of neoplatonic influence would have shaped the game to what it has become: far more than gaming deck!
kwaw
Thus I think we need to differentiate between Plato, primarily seen as a moral philosopher in the first half of the 15th century, and the direct awareness and discussion of neo-platonism which as far as I am aware is developed more in the latter half [though there is an indirect influence, in as much as Christian theology had been influenced by neo-platonism through augustine, boethius, pseudo-dionysus, etc]. Also, even as a moral philosopher, the interpretation and representation of Plato was not always actually very 'platonic' at this time, but is rife with misunderstanding and misrepresentations, their agenda was doctrinal not 'historical' [at least not in quite the same sense that we might mean]. So we need to be aware of what they meant by 'platonic', which may be very different to what we understand.
Kwaw
Rosanne
This and the thread that was the original starting point have been wonderful.
I am just posting to say, as a appreciative bystander- what a great read! ~Rosanne
I am just posting to say, as a appreciative bystander- what a great read! ~Rosanne
kwaw
"I am proposing to educate the perfect orator, who cannot exist except in the person of a good man. We therefore demand of him not only exceptional powers of speech,but all the virtues of character as well.
"...The man who can play his part as a citizen, who is fit for the management of public and private business, and who can guide cities by his counsel, give them a firm basis by his laws, and put them right by his judgements, is surely no other than our orator.
"...We are often obliged to speak of Justice, Fortitude and Temperance, and the like - indeed, scarcely a Cause can be found in which some question relating to these is not involved..."
Quintillius The Orator's Education Book I, prooemium 8.
"...The man who can play his part as a citizen, who is fit for the management of public and private business, and who can guide cities by his counsel, give them a firm basis by his laws, and put them right by his judgements, is surely no other than our orator.
"...We are often obliged to speak of Justice, Fortitude and Temperance, and the like - indeed, scarcely a Cause can be found in which some question relating to these is not involved..."
Quintillius The Orator's Education Book I, prooemium 8.
