Imagination and Understanding through Astrophysical Imagery
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2024-07-03
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en
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Scientific articles, for instance in the field of astrophysics, are often filled with a variety of images. In current philosophical literature, these images are usually analyzed in terms of their function within the scientific argument presented in the article. However, not all images that can be found in astrophysical articles are relevant to the scientific argument, which prompts the question of why they are included in the first place. One answer to this question, I argue, lays in the effect images can have on the imagination of the reader. That is, a scientist can choose to include an image in their text in order to evoke certain mental images in the reader. There are many reasons why the scientist could want to do this, the imagination is, e.g., linked to creativity, and can be used to connect new ideas to already established knowledge. But more importantly, imagining ideas discussed in the paper can help in understanding them, and since achieving understanding can be seen as one of the main goals of science, this motivates scientists to add images to their articles that help this process. This way, the images function as a means of communication between scientists, meaning they can be used to gain insight into scientific practice.
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Faculteit der Filosofie, Theologie en Religiewetenschappen