Social Nudity - by Mark Storey (Paperback)

About the Book

What major thinkers-from the Buddha to Sartre-have said about social nudity. A collection of essays that explore the body, authenticity, and the natural world.

Book Synopsis

Social Nudity: A Treasury of Thought from the Buddha to Jean-Paul Sartre brings together Mark Storey's celebrated essays from Nude & Natural, the quarterly journal of The Naturist Society Foundation, now revised for general readers.

Each chapter examines a singular figure-from the Buddha's ascetic renunciation to Montaigne's earthy self-acceptance, Rousseau's embrace of nature to Nietzsche's philosophy of the body, Kafka's anxious humour to Camus's sun-drenched authenticity-asking what their views on non-sexual nudity reveal about their broader thought.

Storey does not simply present these thinkers as allies. The historical record often resists easy alignment with naturist values, and he navigates such tensions with intellectual honesty. What emerges is a forgotten thread in intellectual history, and an invitation to reconsider the body, authenticity, and our relationship with the natural world.

Neither polemic nor dry academic treatise, Social Nudity is a thoughtful companion for philosophers, cultural historians, and curious readers alike.