College Writing Project 2 - Haley Dennis by

Blooms Thesis:

hrd39_1 — 2025-09-18 16:42:56 UTC

People buy things to be flashy, or because they feel nice, or even just because it makes them feel better. However, the sensory and signaling theories are incomplete. We buy things because of the meaning behind them, in other words, the history.

First Premise:

hrd39_1 — 2025-09-18 16:43:46 UTC

The history of an item can make that item priceless. For the consumers in the world, this creates a huge appeal for the item and desire to own it just because of who wore/used the item in the past. It is more the sentimental value, not the attraction of the object itself.

Premise 1 Quote 1

hrd39_1 — 2025-09-25 17:02:10 UTC

“The pleasure we get from the right sort of history explains much of the lure of luxury items-and more mundane consumer items as well” (Bloom 4).

Premise 1 Quote 2

hrd39_1 — 2025-09-25 17:12:47 UTC

“We asked our subjects to name a living famous person they admired… Then we asked how much they would pay for a specific object, such as a sweater, that was owned and used by this person. When our subjects were told that the object would be thoroughly sterilized before it got to them, they dropped their offers by a third” (Bloom 6).

Second Premise:

hrd39_1 — 2025-09-25 17:18:55 UTC

Bloom signals that the desire of luxury goods is managed by the human urgency to communicate information about oneself to others. Signaling is a primary motivation to obtain a specific item. Luxurious items can signal social status and where a particular person stands economically. Society is facing a self signaling phenomenon.

Premise 2 Quote 1

hrd39_1 — 2025-09-26 02:17:43 UTC

"We like to signal ourselves, to look at our wrists and know that we are big shots" (Bloom 5).

Premise 2 Quote 2

hrd39_1 — 2025-09-26 02:19:26 UTC

"Signaling is a theory with a broad scope-it has been applied to everything from self-mutilating behavior to the fact that the best private schools teach dead languages-but it is most blatant in the consumer world" (Bloom 3).

Premise 2 Quote 3

hrd39_1 — 2025-09-26 02:20:44 UTC

"If everyone else buys fancy suits for their job interviews, then I risk unemployment by choosing not to" (Bloom 3).

Third Premise:

hrd39_1 — 2025-09-26 02:25:29 UTC

Humans are not primarily sensory creatures. Bloom says it might be biological. What is worth being taken into consideration really is what something truly is not what it looks like. Hidden nature informs sensory experiences.

Premise 3 Quote 1

hrd39_1 — 2025-09-26 02:30:06 UTC

"We are not empiricists, obsessed with appearance. Rather, the surfaces of things are significant largely because they reflect an object's deeper nature" (Bloom 8).

Premise 3 Quote 2

hrd39_1 — 2025-09-26 02:32:15 UTC

"This mode of thought might be a biological adaptation, since what really matters-what is important to think about as you make your way through the world-isn't what things look like but what they really are" (Bloom 8).

Premise 2 Quote 3 Analysis

hrd39_1 — 2025-09-26 02:57:23 UTC

In this quote, buying a new suit acts as a signal to employers, making it come across that this interviewee is professional and serious. By not buying a new suit, you might risk not "fitting in" or not being qualified enough for this position. This represents self signaling and the obsession to flaunt luxury goods.

Premise 1 Quote 1 Analysis

hrd39_1 — 2025-09-26 23:23:43 UTC

"the right sort of history" supports the idea that the significance behind an item transforms that item from being mundane to being extraordinary.

Premise 1 Quote 2 Analysis

hrd39_1 — 2025-09-26 23:30:01 UTC

This quote reflects the sentimental value that we associate with items. An item's attraction is based upon its attachment to the individual it is connected to. It is not always a physical attraction. Sentimental value overcomes something that looks appealing.

Premise 2 Quote 1

hrd39_1 — 2025-09-26 23:40:19 UTC

This quote represents the claim that items are purchased in order to prove a point to others that you are "better" in a way. These items reflect someone's social status. The need for more of these "luxury goods" is driven by pressure of societal views.

Premise 2 Quote 2 Analysis

hrd39_1 — 2025-09-26 23:51:49 UTC

This quote implies that our focus on the real meaning of things, instead of appearance, is a "biological adaptation. This means that humans ultimately try to find the deeper meanings beyond the "looks".

Premise 3 Quote 1 Analysis

hrd39_1 — 2025-09-26 23:55:47 UTC

This quote supports the claim that humans are not primarily creatures by explaining that looks are not as important as the history behind an item. This suggests that we are appealed to the sensory aspect of objects because it allows us to get a better understanding of the items history.

Premise 3 Quote 2 Analysis

hrd39_1 — 2025-09-26 23:59:48 UTC

This quote backs up the claim by reiterating that our main focus is the deeper meaning rather than appearance. Humans seek more than just the way something looks. They want to feel connected.

Key Term #1: History

hrd39_1 — 2025-09-27 00:11:52 UTC

Bloom's definition: "Part of the lure is what we believe these items have a certain sort of history" (Bloom 8). Bloom's definition of history refers to luxury items and the story behind these items that makes them more appealing.

Key Term #2: Signaling

hrd39_1 — 2025-09-27 00:14:54 UTC

Blooms represents his definition of signaling by using the quote "If pleasure is triggered by the physical properties of what we are looking at or touching, then it shouldn’t matter what we think it is. But it does matter." (Bloom 5). In other words, Bloom's definition of signaling is a way of communicating to others about themselves.

Key Term #3: Sensory

hrd39_1 — 2025-09-27 00:17:46 UTC

Bloom's definition of sensory is the instances retained from senses, such as the way something tastes, looks, or smells. "The pleasure we get from these objects is genuine and aesthetic, not mostly sensory" (Bloom 8).

Bloom, Paul. "The Lure of Luxury ." Boston Review, 22 Oct. 2015, www.bostonreview.net/forum/paul-bloom-lure-luxury/.

hrd39_1 — 2025-09-27 14:30:31 UTC