260028 Worth a thousand words: Visual representation in the sciences (S) (SoSe 2025)

Philosophers of science have traditionally regarded science as a language-driven enterprise. Instead, visual representations have long been understudied in the field. This situation has changed in the last decades. In face of the ubiquity and prominence of visual tools in scientific reasoning (ranging from drawings and diagrams to technology-assisted images), we see an increasing interest in the roles imagery plays in contemporary scientific practices and throughout the history of science. Visual representations are routinely featured in specialized publications as well as in science teaching and popularization. Their roles often go beyond the merely aesthetic or ornamental, as they can have crucial and irreplaceable epistemic functions in research and science communication. In research contexts, they, among others, foster creativity, organize ideas and methodologies, and spot hidden assumptions and conceptual or empirical gaps in knowledge. In science communication, they are used, for example, to depict idealized structures or imaginary settings and to convey a better understanding of abstract entities and ideas across disciplinary boundaries or to the public.
This seminar offers an introduction to central philosophical debates about visual representations in science. It will analyze the various roles of the visual and their relation to scientific practice along three topics: (1) the types and nature of visual representations and their relations and differences to other forms of representation in science, like theories and models; (2) the epistemic and heuristic roles of imagery in the context of research; and (3) the aesthetic and pedagogical roles of visual representations in communication, teaching, and popularization of science. These issues will be discussed in consideration of case studies from the natural sciences.

Requirements for participation, required level

Abschluss des ersten Studienjahres (beide Grundkurse, Philosophischer Einstieg und Philosophisches Schreiben).