Post on 06-Apr-2015
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Eberhard Karls Universität TübingenPhilosophische Fakultät
Institut für Medienwissenschaft
Epistemic Functions of Pictures Some Conceptual Preliminaries
Conference „Visual Learning: Communication – Cognition – Curriculum“,
Budapest, Decemper 7-8, 2012
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Introduction Epistemic Funtions Rhetoric Conclusion
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Background
• Philosophy and Image Science• Conceptual clarification• Specific functions of pictures
• Core Topics• Relation of pictures and knowledge• Rhetoric of picture use
Introduction
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• Introduction• Epistemic Functions of Pictures
• Pictures as empirical basis • Pictures in contexts of justification• Pictures in contexts of discovery
• Visualization and Genesis of Knowledge• The basic problem: pictures and knowledge• Picture, truth and rhetoric
• Conclusion
Introduction
Content
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Sequential photography (Muybridge)
Epistemic Functions
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Sequential photography (Muybridge)
Epistemic Functions
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Pictures as empirical basis• In empirical research, causally created pictures
are particularly important.
• They serve to augment perception in order to verify the existence of objects or events.
• When pictures are used indexically as a measuring instrument, precise calibration must be ensured (i.e. authorization/authentification).
Epistemic Functions
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• Introduction• Epistemic Functions of Pictures
• Pictures as empirical basis • Pictures in contexts of justification• Pictures in contexts of discovery
• Visualization and Genesis of Knowledge• The basic problem: pictures and knowledge• Picture, truth and rhetoric
• Conclusion
Introduction
Content
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Pictures in contexts of justification
• Pictures can depict complex issues schematically.
• Here, their epistemic contribution arises from the illustration of an argumentation.
• Pictures can function also as visual arguments.
• In contexts of justification, visual arguments require a precise (usually verbal) explanation.
Epistemic Functions
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Mathematic example
Epistemic Functions
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• Introduction• Epistemic Functions of Pictures
• Pictures as empirical basis • Pictures in contexts of justification• Pictures in contexts of discovery
• Visualization and Genesis of Knowledge• The basic problem: pictures and knowledge• Picture, truth and rhetoric
• Conclusion
Introduction
Content
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Scientific visualizations (Kekulé)
Epistemic Functions
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Scientific visualizations
Epistemic Functions
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Pictures in contexts of discovery
• In epistemic contexts of discovery, pictures often fulfill the function of analogies (as do metaphors).
• Pictures allow for the transfer of complex structures from a field theoretically well-founded to a field yet unexplored.
• As analogy models, they also influence our abstract conceptual views.
Epistemic Functions
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Content
• Introduction• Epistemic Functions of Pictures
• Pictures as empirical basis• Pictures in contexts of justification• Pictures in contexts of discovery
• Visualization and Genesis of Knowledge• The basic problem: Pictures and knowledge• Picture, truth and rhetoric
• Conclusion
Rhetoric
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The basic problem: Pictures and knowledge 1
• Knowledge is true and justified opinion. • Truth is a property of statements / propositions.• True opinions (knowing that) presuppose concepts. • Justification is a communicative activity.
Rhetoric
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The basic problem: Pictures and Knowledge 2
• In contrast, the essential function of pictures is illustration respectively visual characterization.• In terms of communication theory, this function is
comparable to predication. • Thus, reference is principally problematic. • Problem of selection
Rhetoric
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Content
• Introduction• Epistemic Functions of Pictures
• Pictures as empirical basis• Pictures in contexts of justification• Pictures in contexts of discovery
• Visualization and Genesis of Knowledge• The basic problem: Pictures and knowledge• Picture, truth and rhetoric
• Conclusion
Rhetoric
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Pictures and idealization
• An important subfunction regarding the epistemic use of images is idealization. • Analogy models are idealizing representations.• Idealization corresponds to an emphasis of particular
aspects / views. • Idealization is a rhetorical figure that possesses a
certain closeness to the conceptual.
Rhetoric
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Idealization in picturesErnst Haeckel
Rhetoric
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Conclusion
• Pictures can assume epistemic functions in different ways.
• However, the quality of an epistemic function always depends on the respective contextual (often linguistic) embedding, as well.
• Accordingly, pictures can direct knowledge, but through ‚skillful‘ recontextualization, they can also ideologically distort it .
Conclusion
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Thank you for your attention!