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Bowerbirds, art and aesthetics : are bowerbirds artists and do they have an aesthetic sense?

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journal contribution
posted on 2012-05-01, 00:00 authored by John EndlerJohn Endler
Male bowerbirds create and decorate a structure called a bower which serves only to attract females for mating, and females visit and choose one among many bower owners before deciding which male to mate with. Is what they do art, and do they have an aesthetic sense? I propose operational definitions of art, judgement, and an aesthetic sense which depend upon communication theory which allow one to get explicit answers to this question. By these definitions Great Bowerbirds are artists, judge art, and therefore have an aesthetic sense.

History

Journal

Communicative and integrative biology

Volume

5

Season

May - June

Pagination

281 - 283

Location

Austin, Tex.

Open access

  • Yes

ISSN

1942-0889

Language

eng

Publication classification

C Journal article; C2 Other contribution to refereed journal

Copyright notice

2012, Landes Bioscience

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