Playing with Spheres: Religion, Play, Games, and Sport in the Philosophy of Peter Sloterdijk

This article approaches the study of religion and play from the philosophy of Peter Sloterdijk. Sloterdijk offers a spatial and immersive account of play that explains its psychosocial effects of “relief” against the burdens of existence and work, its excesses and luxury against necessity and lack, and its two-model structure of a fictive belonging. This is accomplished by looking closely at Sloterdijk’s philosophy of immunology or spheres. Through this investigation, Sloterdijk’s model of the sphere illustrates that games and sport are not isolated phenomena with regard to play but are rather complex extensions of the original play-sphere. From this original play-sphere, religion may develop into structured play (a game) or a professionalised game (sport). For Sloterdijk, religion can be conceived as a playful symbol which allows humans to overcome their gravitas by means of pampering or uplift.