Abstract

The present article presents a theoretical model for analyzing the question of aesthetic behavior in animals (including humans), starting from a problematization of its definition, based on five approaches (from ethology, aesthetics, philosophy, linguistics and semiotics) and continuing with the hypothesis that aesthetics can be explained by starting from the development of deceptive and playing abilities, the three phenomena operating along some kind of continuum. In order to defend this thesis, the article focuses on the perceptive dimension (i.e., the role of the receiver of the deceptive/playful/aesthetic message) and the articulation of the message (i.e., the role of the sender of the deceptive/playful/aesthetic message). The latter in particular demands explanation in terms of the messages' interaction and their reciprocal necessity.