The Play of Man
Editor's Preface
James Mark Baldwin
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THE present writer contributed a somewhat lengthy preface and also an appendix to the translation of the author's earlier volume, The Play of Animals, mainly because--apart from the expressed wish of Professor Groos--he wanted to say something about the book. It is a pleasure to him now to have the justification for it which comes from the adoption by Professor Groos in this volume of the suggestions made in the translation of the earlier one. The main points have all been accepted and used by the author (see pp. 265, 376, 395, of this volume, for example), and further discussions of them have been brought out. This is said in view of the opinion of many that "introductions" are always out of place.
A notable thing about the present volume, considered in relation to the Play of Animals, is the modification of the theory of play as respects its criteria--a point fully explained by the author in his Introduction (see especially p. 5).
The present writer's editorial function has been confined to the insertion of various notes, and the suggesting to the translator of certain renderings; both mainly of a terminological sort (see pp. 5, 122, 133, 264, for examples). In this connection it has been found possible to anticipate and follow the recommendations made in the present writer's Dictionary of Philosophy and Psychology (now in press), seeing that Professor Groos is in active co-operation with the committee engaged upon the German-English equivalents of that work, in so far adopted here. A particular case is the group of renderings: " Preparation " (Vorübung), " Habituation " (Einü-
(iv) bung), "Exercise" (Ausübung), all terms of the "Practice " (Uebung) theory of play. Another case is the set of terms applied to the various reactions of " Shyness "--e. g., "Bashfulness" (Schüchternheit), "Coyness" (Sprödigkeit), "Modesty" (Bescheidenheit), "Shame" (Scham), etc. Biologists will note the adoption of "Rudiment " for Anlage in its biological sense.
Intrinsically the work will be found a worthy companion to The Play of Animals, a book which has already become famous.
J. MARK BALDWIN.
