Epistemic Functions of Pictures Some Conceptual Preliminaries

1. Epistemic Functions of Pictures Some Conceptual Preliminaries Conference „Visual Learning: Communication – Cognition – Curriculum“, Budapest, Decemper 7-8, 2012

2. Introduction Background • Philosophy and Image Science • Conceptual clarification • Specific functions of pictures • Core Topics • Relation of pictures and knowledge • Rhetoric of picture use

3. Introduction 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

4. Epistemic Functions Sequential photography (Muybridge)

5. Epistemic Functions Sequential photography (Muybridge)

6. Epistemic Functions Pictures as empirical basis • In empiricalresearch, causallycreatedpicturesareparticularlyimportant. • Theyservetoaugmentperception in ordertoverifytheexistenceofobjectsorevents. • Whenpicturesareusedindexicallyas a measuringinstrument, precisecalibration must beensured (i.e. authorization/authentification).

7. Introduction 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

8. Epistemic Functions Pictures in contexts of justification • Pictures candepictcomplexissuesschematically. • Here, theirepistemiccontributionarisesfromtheillustrationof an argumentation. • Pictures canfunction also asvisualarguments. • In contextsofjustification, visualargumentsrequire a precise (usually verbal) explanation.

9. Epistemic Functions Mathematic example

10. Introduction 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

11. Epistemic Functions Scientific visualizations (Kekulé)

12. Epistemic Functions Scientific visualizations

13. Epistemic Functions Pictures in contexts of discovery • In epistemiccontextsofdiscovery, picturesoftenfulfillthefunctionofanalogies (as do metaphors). • Pictures allowforthetransferofcomplexstructuresfrom a fieldtheoretically well-foundedto a fieldyetunexplored. • As analogymodels, they also influenceourabstractconceptualviews.

14. Rhetoric 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

15. Rhetoric 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.

16. Rhetoric 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

17. Rhetoric 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

18. Rhetoric 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.

19. Rhetoric Idealization in pictures Ernst Haeckel

20. Conclusion 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 .

21. Thank you for your attention!