2026

“Veiling with Multiple Audiences: Cooperative Communication in Speech and Fashion”, Workshop on Game Theory and Language, Université Paris Panthéon-Sorbonne, Paris, France, June 12, 2026.

In his 2007 book The Stuff of Thought and later papers in 2008, 2010, and 2011 Steven Pinker considers the work of philosopher of language Paul Grice and proposes a number of instances of perceived non-cooperation as problem cases for Grice’s Cooperative Principle. Pinker proposes a game-theoretic framework to understand some cases of what he calls “veiled speech” that, according to his argument, cannot be accounted for by Grice. I will begin by explaining what Pinker gets wrong about Grice’s Cooperative Principle, which is well equipped to explain the types of cases Pinker proposes as problematic, drawing on my previous work (Johnson 2016). We can understand some forms of so-called “veiled speech” as instances of a speaker cooperating with multiple audiences, which Grice discusses. When a speaker produces an utterance she may do so with two (or more) different hearers in mind, and aim to optimize with these both. Finally, I will connect this discussion with recent work in philosophy of fashion (Johnson 2022; Simmenauer and Ramponi Forthcoming) to consider how we might apply these ideas of cooperation with multiple audiences to the choices we make when adorning the body. Depending on whose gaze we are under there may be different costs and benefits to the messages sent with our clothing, and we as rational bodies moving in the world make choices such as wearing ambiguous clothing (Simmenauer and Ramponi Forthcoming), removing clothing, completely changing, and sometimes literally veiling to optimize these payoffs.

“TBD”, Philosophy of Biology at Dolphin Beach, New South Wales, Australia, October 23-25, 2026.

2025 Presentations & Events

“Fashioning Identity in Childhood & Adolescence: A Gricean Perspective “, Fashion and Meaning Conference, Institut Français de la Mode, Paris, France, November 20-21, 2025.

From birth children are adorned. From the first day of life messages are being sent about gender, race, social class, and more. At first it is not the infant’s intentions but the intentions of their caretaker that determines what is worn and thus the associated meanings. Over time, children begin to exercise more control over how they are adorned, and concomitantly learn how to adorn their bodies, a result of receiving various sorts of feedback along the way about how they are being perceived. I will argue that we should consider this process to parallel the language acquisition process, which has been much studied in children (e.g. Chomsky 1988; Winner 1997; Gopnik 1999).  Children living in a social world learn fluency in the language of bodily adornment. The parallels between language acquisition and what I call fashion acquisition are further supported by a Gricean understanding of meaning in bodily adornment, which requires appealing to the intentions with which a body was adorned (Johnson 2022). The communicative knowledge children acquire by adorning will help them successfully navigate the adult world, pairing proper garments with the intentions they wish to communicate. Children also learn how to parse the adornment of others. To fully understand the origins of meaning in fashion we will consider the ways individual phenotypes develop with adorning practices, within the context of their environment. This line of argument can also help explain why in adulthood it feels like our dressing intentions can become automatic—as automatic as speaking one’s native tongue to express ideas.

“Archeology as Historical Science: Centering the Human in Pre-History”, Centre for Philosophical Studies of History, University of Ostrava, Czechia, October 23, 2025.

An important dimension of archaeological interpretation requires recognition of intentions—and for this reason we need theories from philosophy of language and aesthetics to properly do philosophy of archaeology. I will argue that viewing archaeology through only a philosophy of science lens focused on general questions about evidence from traces narrows what philosophy truly has to contribute to archaeology. Contrasting my position with recent work by Adrian Currie, I will demonstrate the consequences of considering archaeology within this framework as a “historical science” akin to paleobiology and geology. So what is so distinctive about certain types of interpretation that they need their own methods? We must remember that archaeology as a study of cultures and people told through their material remains is different from collections of other sorts of things such as naturally formed stones and animal fossils. Archaeology has a specific history of power that has influenced who and what has been dug up, who has had access to sites, who took artifacts home to their museums, whose knowledge was valued in constructing narratives. According to the Gricean view I will advocate for in this talk human meaning is fixed by the intentions of creator when they make an artifact or utterance—in archaeology and in meaning more broadly (language, art, etc.).  This has implications for aesthetic and moral questions that cannot be seen as distinct from the practice of archaeology. Discussions of intention, aesthetics, and ethics in archaeological interpretation show the importance of philosophers with a range of backgrounds engaging in work on prehistory. We ought not sideline the human side of archaeology in attempts to better fit it within theories from philosophy of science; rather we should encourage a capacious view of what all areas of philosophy have to contribute to archaeology.  

“The Origins of Fashion: The Evolution of Bodily Adornment in Prehistory”, Institut Français de la Mode, Dresscodes Seminar, Paris, France, October 8, 2025.

What we today know as fashion—the practice of creating meaning with what we wear—has a special place in the history of humankind. In the archaeological record, bodily adornment is understood to be the earliest example of symbolic behavior, and thus evidence of a capacity that is uniquely human. As Jane Goodall discovered in her research in Tanzania, we are not the only species to create tools in the wild. We are, however, the only species to create artifacts that we wear on the body to communicate to others. In this presentation I will detail the earliest examples of bodily adornment that exist in the archaeological record—ochre and shell beads—which are found going back at least 100,000 years. I will also present different types of bodies themselves as shown in the archaeological record—bones and figurative sculptures—and their relation to gender assumptions and idealized body types. I will then discuss the ways that these bodies and early items of “fashion” have been interpreted by archaeologists, illustrating the philosophical implications of the theories of interpretation that are utilized in these contexts. Considering the deep past of our adorning practices can shed light on how and why we adorn, our modern assumptions about these practices, and what philosophical frameworks are best equipped to explain our understanding of bodies and bodily adornment.

“Fashioning Identity in Childhood & Adolescence: A Gricean Perspective “, American Society for Aesthetics Rocky Mountain Division Meeting, Santa Fe, NM, July 18-20, 2025.

“Archeology as Historical Science: Centering the Human in Pre-History”, Philosophy and Biology Shop Talks Conference, University of North Carolina, NC June 22-27, 2025.

“Philosophy of Archaeology”, Pacific Coast Archaeological Society, Orange County, CA, April 10, 2025.

“Fashioning Identity in Childhood & Adolescence: A Gricean Perspective “, Fashion Research Group, Institut Français de la Mode, Paris, France, January 22, 2025.

“Fashioning Identity in Childhood & Adolescence: A Gricean Perspective “, Philosophy Colloquium, Florida International University, January 17, 2025.

“Adorning Bodies”, Phi Sigma Tau: The Philosophy Club, Florida International University, January 17, 2025.

 

 

Past Presentations, Events, Field Work, Etc.

2024

“The Role of the Philosopher in Archaeology”, Repatriation & Cultural Heritage: Interdisciplinary Perspectives, University of San Diego, November 13, 2024.

“Icon and Index: Embodied Meaning in Taylor Swift”, Fashion and Meaning Panel, American Society for Aesthetics Rocky Mountain Division Meeting, Santa Fe, NM, July 12-14, 2024.

“What is Philosophy of Archaeology?”, Philosophy of the Paleosciences, University of Exeter, June 11, 2024.

“A Journey to Lascaux: On the Role of Intention, Aesthetics, Emotion, and Ethics in Interpreting Prehistory”, Society for California Archaeology Annual Meeting: Considering Cultural Landscapes, Riverside, California, March 7-10, 2024.

“Structures or Intentions? Meaning in Adorning Bodies from Barthes to Grice to Darwin”, Institut Français de la Mode, Dresscodes Seminar, Paris, France, January 24, 2024.

2023 

“Adorning Bodies”, Georgetown University, Aesthetic Perception Graduate Seminar, February 7, 2023.

“A Journey to Lascaux: On the Role of Intention, Aesthetics, Emotion, and Ethics in Interpreting Prehistory”, Philosophy and Biology Shop Talks Conference, Appalachian Mountains, University of North Carolina, June 5-8, 2023.

“A Journey to Lascaux: On the Role of Intention, Aesthetics, Emotion, and Ethics in Interpreting Prehistory”, 4th Lisbon International Conference on Philosophy of Science, Lisbon, Portugal 12-15 July, 2023.

“A Journey to Lascaux: On the Role of Intention, Aesthetics, Emotion, and Ethics in Interpreting Prehistory”, Society for California Archaeology & Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, (INAH) Centro INAH Baja California, Annual Southern Data Sharing Meeting, ‘Las Californias’, Ensenada, Baja California, October 19-22.

“Why Minor in Cognitive Science?” Panel Discussion with Dr. Laura Getz & Dr. Jennifer Olsen, University of San Diego, KIPJ C-D, October 24, 2023.

“Adorning Bodies” Author Meets Critics Panel “The Aesthetics of Fashion” with Gwenda-lin Grewal, Kate Moran, & Nick Pappas, The American Society for Aesthetics Annual Meeting, Arlington, Virginia, November 15-18, 2023.

2022

Organizer, Moderator “Past and Future of USD’s Repatriation of Cultural Heritage Materials”, University of San Diego, December 5, 2022. Organized with Kevin Guerrieri and Angel Hinzo.

“Number Technology and the Human Experience”, Panel at Interdisciplinary Forum, University of San Diego, October 22, 2022.

“Adorning Bodies”, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, October 14, 2022.

“Adorning Bodies”, University of the Third Age, University of San Diego, September 15, 2022.

“Relevance Theory & the Social Realities of Communication”, Philosophy of Linguistics and Language Conference, Interuniversity Center, Dubrovnik, Croatia, September 5-9, 2022.

“Adorning Bodies”, San Diego Union-Tribune Festival of Books, University of San Diego, August 20, 2022.

2021

“Illume College Lecture: Literary Slumming: Slang and Class in Nineteenth-Century France – Eliza Jane Smith, PhD“, Comments & Event Moderator, USD Humanities Center, December 6, 2021.

“Social Media, Profit, and Protection: Addressing the Allegations Against Facebook“, Roundtable speaker, USD Humanities Center, October 21, 2021.

“Philosophical Perspectives on Communication by Prehistoric Bodily Adornment”, Society for California Archaeology Southern Division Meeting, Joshua Tree National Park, October 15-17, 2021.

Co-Organizer (with Corey Barnes) of On Race and Philosophy, conference hosted by the Humanities Center and Department of Philosophy, University of San Diego, February 22-23, 2021.

2020

“Obligations to Others, Part 1”, University of San Diego, Kappa Delta Sorority, July 12, 2020.

“Obligations to Others, Part 2”, University of San Diego, Kappa Delta Sorority, July 19, 2020.

Research trip to University of Auckland, New Zealand, and University of Sydney, Australia, planned for August 2020, postponed due to COVID-19*.

Philosophy of Linguistics and Language, Interuniversity Center, Dubrovnik, Croatia, September 2020, cancelled due to COVID-19*.

“Meaning in Bodies & Bodily Adornment”, Philosophy Colloquium, University of Nevada, Reno, Thursday, October 22, 2020.

Session Chair for Stephen Davies Author Meets Critics Session for Adornment (Bloomsbury 2020), American Society for Aesthetics Eastern Division Meeting, via zoom, Thursday, November 12, 2020.

2019

“A Gricean Proposal for Communication by Bodily Adornment”, Philosophy of Linguistics and Language, Interuniversity Center, Dubrovnik, Croatia, September 9-13, 2019.

“Coffee Would Keep Me Awake: Sperber & Wilson’s Relevance Theory”, Phi Sigma Tau: The Philosophy Club, Florida International University, April 9, 2019.

Archaeological Dig with PIs William Pestle and Carmen Laguer Diaz, University of Miami, Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, March 7-17, 2019. Photos from the dig can be viewed here.

“Making Meaning Manifest”, University of San Diego, San Diego, CA, February 25, 2019.

“Making Meaning Manifest”, University of Miami, Philosophy of Film Club, Miami, FL, February 19, 2019.

“Making Meaning Manifest”, FIU Philosophy Department, Miami, FL, February 14, 2019.

2018

“Women in Philosophy: Deirdre Wilson“, Women in Philosophy Banquet, Phi Sigma Tau: The Philosophy Club, Florida International University, November 27, 2018.

“Philosophical Perspectives on Communication by Prehistoric Bodily Adornment”, Visual Authority: Its Philosophy, Anthropology, Archaeology, Institut für Philosophie, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany, September 27-28, 2018.

“Consciousness and Making Manifest”, A Conference in Honor of Michael Devitt’s 80th Birthday, Interuniversity Center, Dubrovnik, Croatia, September 10-14, 2018.

Interpreter in Tino Sehgal’s “This Situation“, Museum of Art + Design at MDC, Miami, FL, March 31-April 29, 2018.

Comments on “Fashion as Play”, American Society for Aesthetics Annual Meeting, Eastern Division, Philadelphia, PA, April 20-21, 2018.

“Tree Trimming: Four Non-Branching Rules for Priest’s Introduction to Non-Classical Logic“, Phi Sigma Tau: The Philosophy Club, Florida International University, February 27, 2018.

“Artistic Capacities, Mindreading, & the Archaeological Record”, Gregory Currie Workshop, University of Miami, February 1, 2018.

“On Prum’s Theory of Biotic Aesthetics”, American Philosophical Association Eastern Division Meeting, Savannah, Georgia, January 4, 2018.

2017

“Philosophical Perspectives on Communication by Prehistoric Bodily Adornment”, Digging Deeper: Philosophical and Archaeological Perspectives, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, December 2, 2017.

“On Prum’s Theory of Biotic Aesthetics”, Florida Philosophical Association Meeting, College of Central Florida, Ocala, Florida, November 4, 2017.

“Fashion & Philosophy”, Philosophy-in-Manhattan, New York, New York, Sunday, October 22, 2017.

“Systems of Dress: A Gricean Proposal for Communication by Bodily Adornment”, Fashion: Now & Then Conference, LIM College, New York, Friday, October 20, 2017.

“Seeking Speaker Meaning in the Archaeological Record”, Science Studies Seminar, CUNY Graduate Center, New York, March 3, 2017.

“Incompleteness & Interpretation”, Great Incompletes: Italy’s Unfinished Endeavors, Columbia University, February 4, 2017.

2016

“Reference Through Instruments”, Science Studies Seminar, CUNY Graduate Center, New York, September 30, 2016.

“Consciousness & Making Manifest”, 7th Intercultural Pragmatics and Communication Conference, University of Split, Croatia, June 10-12, 2016. *Received Best PhD Student Paper Award*

“Systems of Dress: A Gricean Proposal for Communication by Bodily Adornment”, Cognitive Science Seminar, CUNY Graduate Center, NY, February 26, 2016.

2015

“Cooperation with Multiple Audiences”, School of Philosophy Thursday Seminar Series, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia, December 10, 2015.

“Systems of Dress: A Gricean Proposal for Communication by Bodily Adornment”, Philosophy Research Seminar, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, November 27, 2015.

“Meaning Through Things”, Symbols and Communicative Behaviour in Pleistocene Hominins Workshop, University of Sydney, Australia, November 21-22, 2015.

“Systems of Dress: A Gricean Proposal for Communication by Bodily Adornment”, School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry Seminar, University of Sydney, Australia, November 19, 2015.

“Metaphysics of Meaning”, Logic & Metaphysics Workshop, CUNY Graduate Center, NY, October 26, 2015.

“Cooperation with Multiple Audiences”, Philosophy of Language and Linguistics, Interuniversity Center, Dubrovnik, Croatia, September 7-11, 2015.

“Reference Through Instruments”, Bucharest Colloquium in Analytic Philosophy: Meaning and Reference, European Society for Analytic Philosophy, University of Bucharest, Romania, June 19-21, 2015.

“Women in Analytic Philosophy”, SWIP-Analytic Invited Panel, presented with Kate Pendoley, Hypatia and the APA Committee on the Status of Women Conference: Exploring Collaborative Contestations and Diversifying Philosophy, Villanova University, PA, May 28–30, 2015.

“Reference Through Instruments”, Envisioning Science Conference, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, February 27, 2015

2014

“Why We Implicate: Revising Pinker’s Game-Theoretic Proposal”, CUNY Pragmatics Workshop: Relevance, Games, and Communication, CUNY Graduate Center, NY, October 14-15, 2014

“Reference Through Instruments”, The British Society of Aesthetics Annual Conference, St Anne’s College, Oxford, UK, September 19-21, 2014

“Maxim of Politeness, Please”, 6th Intercultural Pragmatics and Communication Conference, University of Malta, May 30 – June 1, 2014

2013

“Tree Trimming”, Saul Kripke Center Brown Bag Lunch Lecture, CUNY Graduate Center, NY, December 9, 2013

Comments on “Incompatibilist About What”, Experimental Philosophy: Possibilities and Limits, CUNY Graduate Center, NY, April 5, 2013

“The Inner ‘I’”, Minding the Body Conference, CUNY Graduate Center, NY, March 1, 2013