Genre: Brincante – What play teaches us about otherness

Abstract

Based on the conviction of philosopher Paul B. Preciado (2018) that gender cannot be treated as an individual property, but rather as something we do together, the proposal of this article is to develop the idea of an experience of otherness in which play is present as the operator of the encounter. The argument, still in its incipient, is based on the thesis of Canadian Brian Massumi (2021) that it is through play that most forms of life find creative solutions to evolve. In order to overcome what is given, what comes into play in the game is difference and its power of variation. The purpose of the playful gesture is not to coincide with the gesture of its analogous arena of activity, thus finding, in a zone of indiscernibility, the logic of undecidability. The pretext of this writing is added to the idea of theatricality developed by some authors of theatrical studies and performing arts, in order to support Massumi's thesis in the sphere of human play. Furthermore, to glimpse playing beyond a mere game, the concept of experience from the philosopher of education Jorge Larrosa (2015) helps us to understand why, in capitalism, where all that matters is profit, losing is a political experience.