Images by Kulvicki, John;

Short description:

The problem of images – how one thing can represent another – has been a central issue in philosophy since Plato and preoccupied recent philosophers such as Wittgenstein. Essential reading for students and professional philosophers alike, the book also contains chapters summaries, annotated further reading and a glossary.

Long description:

The nature of representation is a central topic in philosophy. This is the first book to connect problems with understanding representational artifacts, like pictures, diagrams, and inscriptions, to the philosophies of science, mind, and art.

Can images be a source of knowledge? Are images merely conventional signs, like words? What is the relationship between the observer and the observed? In this clear and stimulating introduction to the problem John V. Kulvicki explores these questions and more. He discusses:

• the nature of pictorial experience and "seeing in"


• recognition, resemblance, pretense, and structural theories of depiction


• images as aids to scientific discovery and understanding


• mental imagery and the nature of perceptual content


• photographs as visual prostheses.

In so doing he assesses central problems in the philosophy of images, such as how objects we make come to represent other things, and how we distinguish kinds of representation - pictures, diagrams, graphs - from one another. Essential reading for students and professional philosophers alike, the book also contains chapter summaries, annotated further reading, and a glossary.

"… a comprehensive introduction to the philosophy of imagistic representations. Kulvicki provides a splendid critical introductory overview of recent philosophical accounts of pictorial representation, the majority of which have been developed within the framework of the philosophy of art. … In sum, this book provides an excellent critical overview of contemporary theories of pictorial representation. But it is also an ambitious attempt to provide the foundations of an account of a broader domain of images." - Paloma Atencia-Linares, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

"Smartly written and skilfully constructed, featuring an even-handed and comprehensive overview of the best that philosophers have had to say about images. If your library has space for only one book on the philosophy of pictures, then this is it." - Dominic McIver Lopes, University of British Columbia, Canada

"A first-rate introduction to the philosophical debate on the nature of images. Yet, this book delivers much more than just an introduction. By discussing images in the context of the philosophy of science, aesthetics, and the philosophy of mind, Kulvicki opens up new lines of inquiry and invites the reader to think more deeply about the nature of images." - René Jagnow, University of Georgia, USA

"A superb guide to the rich post-Gombrich literature on the nature of pictorial representation and images in general, including scientific images, graphs, diagrams, and mental images. It is also an innovative development and defense of Kulvicki’s preferred structuralist theory. Sophisticated yet accessible, it is exceptionally interesting and insightful." - Kendall Walton, University of Michigan, USA

Table of Contents:

Introduction: Pictorial Platitudes  1. Gombrich and the Beholder’s Share  2. Experience  3. Recognition  4. Resemblance  5. Pretense  6. Structure  7. Realism and Unrealism  8. Scientific Images  9. Images in Mind  10. Photography and Object Perception.  Index