1. Meaning in Bodies and Adornment 2. Taking Adornment Seriously: Structuralism and Meaning 3. Details on the Gricean View 4. Deception in the Human and Animal Worlds (Imitation of Natural Meaning & Lying in Non-Natural Meaning) 5. Darwin on Animal Bodies 6. Human Sexual Selection 7. The Evolution of Bodily Adornment: Signaling and Meaning-Making in Prehistory 8. Information, Misperception, Suppression, Expression 9. On Beauty: Aesthetic Choices, Adornment, & Art Notes Bibliography Index
Employs philosophy and evolutionary theory to illustrate how we think about bodies, adornment, and aesthetics.
Marilynn Johnson is Assistant Professor at the University of San Diego, USA.
[H]ighly engaging and insightful, it comes as a very welcome
entryway into discussions in the present and also leading
philosophers into future avenues of research. Johnson presents
astute analysis, while demonstrating each move of the argument with
examples from history, popular culture, and science. Taking cues
from theories of culture, biology, and psychology, this book
maintains its core presence as philosophy, while exemplifying the
kind of interdisciplinary research that should guide more
academics.
*Journal of Comparative Literature and Aesthetics*
Adorning Bodies is an important reminder of our embodied lives,
where our adorned bodies are imbued with meaning, and that
‘everything speaks’. Johnson provides us with a fresh take on these
themes, bringing the philosophy of language to life by applying it
to our bodily selves in a lucid and engaging way.
*Suki Finn, Lecturer, Royal Holloway University of London, UK*
Johnson interprets adornment through the combined lenses of the
philosophy of language and evolutionary theory. The result is
interesting, informative and very enjoyable. The book is full of
great insights, and made me re-evaluate my relationship to the
clothes I wear. It's an excellent contribution to the
literature.
*Richard Moore, Senior Research Fellow, University of Warwick,
UK*
Adorning Bodies invites us to consider how our bodies and clothing
convey meaning, for better or for worse. Johnson masterfully
appeals to the philosophy of language and evolutionary theory to
develop a rich account of the meaning woven into the fabric we
wear. From Darwin to Stonewall, the book makes elegant use of
historical texts and contemporary examples. It will be invaluable
for scholars and interesting to anyone who wants to think more
deeply about what it means to get dressed.
*Kate Moran, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Brandeis
University, USA*
Marilynn Johnson's Adorning Bodies rigorously and insightfully
brings together three disciplines rarely combined in a unified
framework, namely, the philosophy of language, evolutionary theory,
and aesthetics. Focusing on bodily adornment, Johnson is able to
carefully dissect such issues, among others as the question of
whether animals create art, while also arguing that some high
fashion is art, properly so called. Written with exemplary clarity,
the range of issues is broad with many engaging examples that
establish that the philosophy of adornment is a vast understudied
area calling for further, continuing inquiry and discussion.
*Noël Carroll, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, The Graduate
Center, City University of New York, USA*
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