The Games of Economic Man and the Competitive Environment of Postmodernity

Abstract

The purpose of the paper is to prove that the concept of economic man determines both the origins and the philosophical implications of game theory. The evolution of the general idea of game as the free, non-utilitarian, relaxing, and self-referential activity is retraced in the context of opposition between the notions of nature and culture which were typical for the philosophy of modernity. It is emphasized that the involvement of the concept of economic man in the formation of game theory resulted in radical change of the traditional notion of game and the emergence of a tendency to the generalization of the economic model of behavior. Thus the culture of postmodernity is considered to be the most favorable competitive environment for the utilitarian games of economic man. The problem concerning the limits of game-theoretic approach to culture, religion and history is discussed in a nutshell.