Three Rights to Play: Liberalist, Fascist, and Compositionist

This theoretical paper explores the concept of a "right to play" by contrasting three ideological approaches: liberalist, fascistic, and compositionist. The central thesis is that examining this unrecognized right reveals key ideological tensions in the contemporary political landscape, particularly as the liberal international order appears to unravel. The analysis employs a speculative and theoretical methodology, drawing on discursive analysis and theoretical exposition, without specific geographic or time period limitations beyond referencing current global political dynamics.

The liberalist approach to the right to play is examined through the lens of organizations like Right to Play, which promotes play-based learning in underserved communities. This perspective, rooted in John Rawls' concept of procedural justice as fairness, ultimately frames the right to play as the right to compete within a market society, despite inherent inequalities. Critics argue this paradigm advances individualistic, Eurocentric, and capitalist values, and it faces challenges from authoritarian forces.

In contrast, the fascistic approach is characterized by a "right to play" with discourse, using bad faith arguments to intimidate and disconcert, as described by Jean-Paul Sartre. This perspective extends to the fascistic quest for "autogenetic sovereignty" and is observed in far-right online culture and acts of terrorism, manifesting through real and discursive violence and transgression. This differs from the liberalist view, where the right to play is granted by a just community.

Finally, the paper proposes a compositionist approach, inspired by anarchist traditions and the work of David Graeber and Cornelius Castoriadis. This perspective views the production of social life as inherently playful and collaborative. The "right to play" here is neither an entitlement to compete nor a will-to-power, but rather a cooperative recognition of participation in an infinite game, enabling the continuous recomposition of social reality. This framework suggests that systems of value and domination are misrecognized forms of society's creative and playful power.