Andrew Hollingworth
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195305487
- eISBN:
- 9780199894260
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195305487.003.0005
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Psychology
This chapter reviews research examining visual memory for complex, natural environments. It is divided into two main sections. The first concerns the use of visual memory to construct online ...
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This chapter reviews research examining visual memory for complex, natural environments. It is divided into two main sections. The first concerns the use of visual memory to construct online representations of natural scenes (i.e., the representation produced as one is actively viewing a scene). The second concerns longer-term scene memory stored after a scene is no longer in view.Less
This chapter reviews research examining visual memory for complex, natural environments. It is divided into two main sections. The first concerns the use of visual memory to construct online representations of natural scenes (i.e., the representation produced as one is actively viewing a scene). The second concerns longer-term scene memory stored after a scene is no longer in view.
Stephen J. Davis
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199258628
- eISBN:
- 9780191718052
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199258628.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
Human bodies were contested commodities in the ancient church, Early Christian writers frequently wrangled over the ethical implications of dress and bodily adornment, and sought to regiment various ...
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Human bodies were contested commodities in the ancient church, Early Christian writers frequently wrangled over the ethical implications of dress and bodily adornment, and sought to regiment various forms of physical interaction and movement within their communities, from sexual contact to pilgrimage travel. Bodies — and how they were used — functioned as privileged markers of Christian identity, as valuable capital in the complex economies of Christian discourse and practice. Nowhere was this more the case than in discussions about Christ's body and its relation to his divinity. This chapter examines visual representation of Christ's body among Coptic communities, and the relation that representation had to Egyptian Christian understandings of the Incarnation. It focuses on two particular contexts for such visual representation: (1) images of Christ on Coptic textiles and clothing, and (2) images of Christ on the walls of Coptic churches. In each of these two cases, the ritualized contexts for the wearing and viewing of christological images are explored.Less
Human bodies were contested commodities in the ancient church, Early Christian writers frequently wrangled over the ethical implications of dress and bodily adornment, and sought to regiment various forms of physical interaction and movement within their communities, from sexual contact to pilgrimage travel. Bodies — and how they were used — functioned as privileged markers of Christian identity, as valuable capital in the complex economies of Christian discourse and practice. Nowhere was this more the case than in discussions about Christ's body and its relation to his divinity. This chapter examines visual representation of Christ's body among Coptic communities, and the relation that representation had to Egyptian Christian understandings of the Incarnation. It focuses on two particular contexts for such visual representation: (1) images of Christ on Coptic textiles and clothing, and (2) images of Christ on the walls of Coptic churches. In each of these two cases, the ritualized contexts for the wearing and viewing of christological images are explored.
Paul Thagard
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199753628
- eISBN:
- 9780199950027
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199753628.003.0016
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Social Psychology
This chapter describes two studies that help evaluate the combinatorial conjecture that all creativity results from combinations of mental representations. The first study examines 100 examples of ...
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This chapter describes two studies that help evaluate the combinatorial conjecture that all creativity results from combinations of mental representations. The first study examines 100 examples of great scientific discoveries, and the second looks at 100 examples of great technological inventions. Both studies confirm rather than refute the combinatorial conjecture, but also provide important information concerning the role of visual and other kinds of representations and the extent to which discoveries and inventions were accidental, analogical, and observational or theoretical. The nontriviality of the combinatorial conjecture is shown by discussing views about radical embodiment that are incompatible with it.Less
This chapter describes two studies that help evaluate the combinatorial conjecture that all creativity results from combinations of mental representations. The first study examines 100 examples of great scientific discoveries, and the second looks at 100 examples of great technological inventions. Both studies confirm rather than refute the combinatorial conjecture, but also provide important information concerning the role of visual and other kinds of representations and the extent to which discoveries and inventions were accidental, analogical, and observational or theoretical. The nontriviality of the combinatorial conjecture is shown by discussing views about radical embodiment that are incompatible with it.
Daniel J. Simons, Stephen R. Mitroff, and Steven L. Franconeri
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195313659
- eISBN:
- 9780199848058
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195313659.003.0013
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Psychology
Much of perception does not require that information be preserved from one view to the next. This chapter’s review of the visual-integration and change-detection literature suggests that precise and ...
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Much of perception does not require that information be preserved from one view to the next. This chapter’s review of the visual-integration and change-detection literature suggests that precise and complete visual representations may be unnecessary for the experience of a stable, continuous visual world. Instead, the experience of stability is driven by precise representations of the information needed to guide action, accompanied by an assumption that the properties of objects in the world are unlikely to change across views. Of course, more sensitive measures might reveal the existence of complete, precise representations of all aspects of the visual world, but such detailed representations are not needed to explain the experience of an unchanging world from one view to the next.Less
Much of perception does not require that information be preserved from one view to the next. This chapter’s review of the visual-integration and change-detection literature suggests that precise and complete visual representations may be unnecessary for the experience of a stable, continuous visual world. Instead, the experience of stability is driven by precise representations of the information needed to guide action, accompanied by an assumption that the properties of objects in the world are unlikely to change across views. Of course, more sensitive measures might reveal the existence of complete, precise representations of all aspects of the visual world, but such detailed representations are not needed to explain the experience of an unchanging world from one view to the next.
Michael F. Land and Benjamin W. Tatler
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198570943
- eISBN:
- 9780191693878
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198570943.003.0010
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Psychology
This chapter covers the representation of the visual world in the mind. It specifically examines the nature and content of these representations. It then addresses how they may relate to the roles of ...
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This chapter covers the representation of the visual world in the mind. It specifically examines the nature and content of these representations. It then addresses how they may relate to the roles of vision in the tasks of daily life. Furthermore, it evaluates the problem of locating objects in the world and then the links between vision and action during the execution of real tasks. It appears that for the performance of purposeful actions in the real-world four levels of representation are required. These are a representation of goals and the means to achieve them (the schema level), of the locations of objects in the world (for gaze control), of motor actions (‘motor prototypes’), and of visual representations of objects that embody the attributes needed for manipulation (affordances). Most of the understanding of visual representation is derived from static scene viewing involving explicit memory tasks. Furthermore, active tasks need descriptions of objects in terms of their action possibilities (affordances) together with a robust representation of spatial layout.Less
This chapter covers the representation of the visual world in the mind. It specifically examines the nature and content of these representations. It then addresses how they may relate to the roles of vision in the tasks of daily life. Furthermore, it evaluates the problem of locating objects in the world and then the links between vision and action during the execution of real tasks. It appears that for the performance of purposeful actions in the real-world four levels of representation are required. These are a representation of goals and the means to achieve them (the schema level), of the locations of objects in the world (for gaze control), of motor actions (‘motor prototypes’), and of visual representations of objects that embody the attributes needed for manipulation (affordances). Most of the understanding of visual representation is derived from static scene viewing involving explicit memory tasks. Furthermore, active tasks need descriptions of objects in terms of their action possibilities (affordances) together with a robust representation of spatial layout.
Michael Land and Benjamin Tatler
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198570943
- eISBN:
- 9780191693878
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198570943.001.0001
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Psychology
The cooperative action of different regions of human brains gives an amazing capacity to perform activities as diverse as playing the piano and hitting a tennis ball. Somehow, without conscious ...
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The cooperative action of different regions of human brains gives an amazing capacity to perform activities as diverse as playing the piano and hitting a tennis ball. Somehow, without conscious effort, eyes find the information that is needed to operate successfully in this world. The development of head-mounted eye trackers over recent years has made it possible to record where we look during different active tasks, and so work out what information the eyes supply to the brain systems that control limbs. The strategies that the eye movement system uses in the initiation and guidance of action are explored. This book examines a wide range of visually guided behaviour, from sedentary tasks like reading and drawing, to dynamic activities such as driving and playing cricket. A central theme is that the eye movement system has its own knowledge about where to find the most appropriate information for guiding action — information not usually available to conscious scrutiny. Thus, each type of action has its own specific repertoire of linked eye movements, acquired in parallel with the motor skills themselves. Starting with a brief background to eye movement studies, the book then reviews a range of observations and analyses of different activities. It ends with discussions of the nature of visual representation, the neurophysiology of the systems involved, and the roles of attention and learning.Less
The cooperative action of different regions of human brains gives an amazing capacity to perform activities as diverse as playing the piano and hitting a tennis ball. Somehow, without conscious effort, eyes find the information that is needed to operate successfully in this world. The development of head-mounted eye trackers over recent years has made it possible to record where we look during different active tasks, and so work out what information the eyes supply to the brain systems that control limbs. The strategies that the eye movement system uses in the initiation and guidance of action are explored. This book examines a wide range of visually guided behaviour, from sedentary tasks like reading and drawing, to dynamic activities such as driving and playing cricket. A central theme is that the eye movement system has its own knowledge about where to find the most appropriate information for guiding action — information not usually available to conscious scrutiny. Thus, each type of action has its own specific repertoire of linked eye movements, acquired in parallel with the motor skills themselves. Starting with a brief background to eye movement studies, the book then reviews a range of observations and analyses of different activities. It ends with discussions of the nature of visual representation, the neurophysiology of the systems involved, and the roles of attention and learning.
KENNY COVENTRY
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199260195
- eISBN:
- 9780191717345
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199260195.003.0013
- Subject:
- Linguistics, Psycholinguistics / Neurolinguistics / Cognitive Linguistics
This chapter argues that an account of the use and comprehension of spatial prepositions is likely to involve at least two dimensions, one geometric and one extra-geometric. The nature of frame of ...
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This chapter argues that an account of the use and comprehension of spatial prepositions is likely to involve at least two dimensions, one geometric and one extra-geometric. The nature of frame of reference instantiation with reference to spatial template theory is considered. The results of a number of recent experiments employing the prepositions over, under, above, and below, and the implications the findings have for spatial template theory are discussed. A range of prepositions, including those that have been classified variously as ‘topological’, ‘projective’, and ‘proximity’ or ‘directional’, are examined. It is argued that the types of representation needed to serve spatial language are unlikely to be of a single format, and that the types of representation generated from the visual system underlying spatial language use and comprehension are likely to involve both ‘semantic’ and ‘pragmatic’ components.Less
This chapter argues that an account of the use and comprehension of spatial prepositions is likely to involve at least two dimensions, one geometric and one extra-geometric. The nature of frame of reference instantiation with reference to spatial template theory is considered. The results of a number of recent experiments employing the prepositions over, under, above, and below, and the implications the findings have for spatial template theory are discussed. A range of prepositions, including those that have been classified variously as ‘topological’, ‘projective’, and ‘proximity’ or ‘directional’, are examined. It is argued that the types of representation needed to serve spatial language are unlikely to be of a single format, and that the types of representation generated from the visual system underlying spatial language use and comprehension are likely to involve both ‘semantic’ and ‘pragmatic’ components.
Kathleen A. Akins
- Published in print:
- 1996
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195084627
- eISBN:
- 9780199847167
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195084627.003.0001
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Psychology
The book details several well-argued theories aiming to explain how the full, cohesive vista of human vision and perception is possible. The main query is broken down into several parts. The first ...
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The book details several well-argued theories aiming to explain how the full, cohesive vista of human vision and perception is possible. The main query is broken down into several parts. The first deals with how we organize our representations of the world and whether these are processed and connected in a logical and sentential manner, or if these involve random connections across our neurons. The next part focuses on the amount of detail in the visual representations themselves and yields two opposing theories: the “Literalist View”—“You See What You Think You See”—and the non-Literalist or “Functional View”—“You Don't See What You Think You See.” Also discussed is whether the intentional content of neural representations is individuated by factors external or internal to the subject. The last part of the chapter tackles how visual perception is processed and unified via the “Feature Integration Theory” or the “Recollective Theory.”.Less
The book details several well-argued theories aiming to explain how the full, cohesive vista of human vision and perception is possible. The main query is broken down into several parts. The first deals with how we organize our representations of the world and whether these are processed and connected in a logical and sentential manner, or if these involve random connections across our neurons. The next part focuses on the amount of detail in the visual representations themselves and yields two opposing theories: the “Literalist View”—“You See What You Think You See”—and the non-Literalist or “Functional View”—“You Don't See What You Think You See.” Also discussed is whether the intentional content of neural representations is individuated by factors external or internal to the subject. The last part of the chapter tackles how visual perception is processed and unified via the “Feature Integration Theory” or the “Recollective Theory.”.
Gillian Rhodes and Emma Jaquet
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195333176
- eISBN:
- 9780199864324
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195333176.003.0021
- Subject:
- Psychology, Vision, Cognitive Neuroscience
This chapter uses face aftereffects to examine the role of adaptive mechanisms in forming visual representations of faces. It argues that such mechanisms may underlie our remarkable ability to ...
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This chapter uses face aftereffects to examine the role of adaptive mechanisms in forming visual representations of faces. It argues that such mechanisms may underlie our remarkable ability to distinguish thousands of faces, despite their similarity, as visual patterns—an ability that is fundamental to human social interaction. It demonstrates that these mechanisms are sensitive to important social dimensions of faces, such as their sex and race. This selectivity may increase our capacity to discriminate faces relative to a system that codes the same visual information for all faces.Less
This chapter uses face aftereffects to examine the role of adaptive mechanisms in forming visual representations of faces. It argues that such mechanisms may underlie our remarkable ability to distinguish thousands of faces, despite their similarity, as visual patterns—an ability that is fundamental to human social interaction. It demonstrates that these mechanisms are sensitive to important social dimensions of faces, such as their sex and race. This selectivity may increase our capacity to discriminate faces relative to a system that codes the same visual information for all faces.
Zoe Kourtzi and Kalanit Grill-Spector
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198529699
- eISBN:
- 9780191689697
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198529699.003.0007
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Psychology
This chapter describes how adaptation over short time frames (seconds) can be combined with brain imaging to study visual representations in the primate brain. The fMRI-adaptation approach, developed ...
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This chapter describes how adaptation over short time frames (seconds) can be combined with brain imaging to study visual representations in the primate brain. The fMRI-adaptation approach, developed by Grill-Spector and her colleagues, exploits the fact that the fMRI response is reduced by repeated presentation of the same stimulus, which they attribute to the suppression of stimulus-specific neurons. Therefore, if a change in a stimulus dimension causes an increased response or ‘rebound’ from adaptation, then the population of neurons must be selective for, or code, that property. If adaptation remains constant across a change, then the population coding must be invariant to that property.Less
This chapter describes how adaptation over short time frames (seconds) can be combined with brain imaging to study visual representations in the primate brain. The fMRI-adaptation approach, developed by Grill-Spector and her colleagues, exploits the fact that the fMRI response is reduced by repeated presentation of the same stimulus, which they attribute to the suppression of stimulus-specific neurons. Therefore, if a change in a stimulus dimension causes an increased response or ‘rebound’ from adaptation, then the population of neurons must be selective for, or code, that property. If adaptation remains constant across a change, then the population coding must be invariant to that property.
Ballard Dana H.
- Published in print:
- 1996
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195084627
- eISBN:
- 9780199847167
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195084627.003.0005
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Psychology
The advent of the computer age enabled significant developments in the study of visual representation, particularly in the emergence of computational theories which are able to make sense of the ...
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The advent of the computer age enabled significant developments in the study of visual representation, particularly in the emergence of computational theories which are able to make sense of the large volume of data collected. This background leads into a discussion of the “Literalist View,” which explains the phenomenon of perception as the product of similar logical computations by the brain to reconcile visual stimuli with existing mental “retinotopic structures,” which are assumed to be truthful representations of our world. The chapter then cites several works—namely, that of Churchland, Grimes, and the Nina experiments—that discuss the loopholes in the theory. An alternative, non-Literalist theory is then offered—the “Functional View”—which provides a different insight into how the brain interprets visual stimuli. Specifically, it is posited that there is evidence of selective visual representation, dependent on the importance of the visual stimuli to the particular individual.Less
The advent of the computer age enabled significant developments in the study of visual representation, particularly in the emergence of computational theories which are able to make sense of the large volume of data collected. This background leads into a discussion of the “Literalist View,” which explains the phenomenon of perception as the product of similar logical computations by the brain to reconcile visual stimuli with existing mental “retinotopic structures,” which are assumed to be truthful representations of our world. The chapter then cites several works—namely, that of Churchland, Grimes, and the Nina experiments—that discuss the loopholes in the theory. An alternative, non-Literalist theory is then offered—the “Functional View”—which provides a different insight into how the brain interprets visual stimuli. Specifically, it is posited that there is evidence of selective visual representation, dependent on the importance of the visual stimuli to the particular individual.
Brian P. Mclaughlin
- Published in print:
- 1996
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195084627
- eISBN:
- 9780199847167
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195084627.003.0009
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Psychology
The chapter details Lewis's ideas on perception, the capacity to see, and hallucinations. The chapter also provides counterarguments and commentaries on identified weaknesses of this work. The ...
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The chapter details Lewis's ideas on perception, the capacity to see, and hallucinations. The chapter also provides counterarguments and commentaries on identified weaknesses of this work. The concept of hallucinations throws a monkey wrench into the supposedly straightforward definition of seeing, in that the visual experience is markedly different from the actual environment. The chapter then ascribes two conditions—multi-tracking and multi-adherence—to the capacity to see, which distinguishes hallucinations from actual seeing. In the former, a person “sees” if he is capable of tracking various actual scenes with matching visual representations, as opposed to hallucinations, where, even if one changes the scenery, the visual representation remains the same. The chapter refutes the necessity of these conditions for seeing, because of factors unrelated to a person's capacity to see. In the last part of the chapter, an alternative theory is provided, in response to the identified loopholes in the discourse discussed here.Less
The chapter details Lewis's ideas on perception, the capacity to see, and hallucinations. The chapter also provides counterarguments and commentaries on identified weaknesses of this work. The concept of hallucinations throws a monkey wrench into the supposedly straightforward definition of seeing, in that the visual experience is markedly different from the actual environment. The chapter then ascribes two conditions—multi-tracking and multi-adherence—to the capacity to see, which distinguishes hallucinations from actual seeing. In the former, a person “sees” if he is capable of tracking various actual scenes with matching visual representations, as opposed to hallucinations, where, even if one changes the scenery, the visual representation remains the same. The chapter refutes the necessity of these conditions for seeing, because of factors unrelated to a person's capacity to see. In the last part of the chapter, an alternative theory is provided, in response to the identified loopholes in the discourse discussed here.
Kevin Sharpe
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- October 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780300162004
- eISBN:
- 9780300164909
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300162004.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History
This chapter describes the virtue and majesty of Charles I in England. The image of Charles has passed into history as a visual representation, of a king powerfully present on the canvases of Anthony ...
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This chapter describes the virtue and majesty of Charles I in England. The image of Charles has passed into history as a visual representation, of a king powerfully present on the canvases of Anthony van Dyck. There is little evidence of the passion for art that characterized his adulthood in the young Charles, who emulated his brother's interests in exercises and inventions. His sudden interest appears to have been triggered by his inheritance in 1619 of Anna of Denmark's collection, which included the paintings from Henry's galleries. The conjuncture of dynastic succession and artistic bequest may be more significant than has been noted. For Charles, the arts and family were inseparable, and his aesthetic interests were always allied to his dynastic ambitions and beliefs.Less
This chapter describes the virtue and majesty of Charles I in England. The image of Charles has passed into history as a visual representation, of a king powerfully present on the canvases of Anthony van Dyck. There is little evidence of the passion for art that characterized his adulthood in the young Charles, who emulated his brother's interests in exercises and inventions. His sudden interest appears to have been triggered by his inheritance in 1619 of Anna of Denmark's collection, which included the paintings from Henry's galleries. The conjuncture of dynastic succession and artistic bequest may be more significant than has been noted. For Charles, the arts and family were inseparable, and his aesthetic interests were always allied to his dynastic ambitions and beliefs.
Susanna Berger
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780691172279
- eISBN:
- 9781400885121
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691172279.003.0003
- Subject:
- Art, Art History
This chapter turns to the functions of images integrated into manuscript sources. It presents the first analysis of the visual representations in the Paris philosophy notebooks. It demonstrates how ...
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This chapter turns to the functions of images integrated into manuscript sources. It presents the first analysis of the visual representations in the Paris philosophy notebooks. It demonstrates how the study of printed visual representations and the activity of drawing became central components of philosophical training in the early modern period. As this chapter is the first to deal with drawn materials, it begins with a brief excursus on theoretical uses of this practice in the Renaissance. It then provides an important context to understanding the texts and images in the notebooks, describing the teaching of philosophy and the format of lectures in Paris and Leuven in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Next, it presents an overview of the functions of the prints and drawings found in Paris and Leuven student notebooks.Less
This chapter turns to the functions of images integrated into manuscript sources. It presents the first analysis of the visual representations in the Paris philosophy notebooks. It demonstrates how the study of printed visual representations and the activity of drawing became central components of philosophical training in the early modern period. As this chapter is the first to deal with drawn materials, it begins with a brief excursus on theoretical uses of this practice in the Renaissance. It then provides an important context to understanding the texts and images in the notebooks, describing the teaching of philosophy and the format of lectures in Paris and Leuven in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Next, it presents an overview of the functions of the prints and drawings found in Paris and Leuven student notebooks.
Susanna Berger
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780691172279
- eISBN:
- 9781400885121
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691172279.003.0004
- Subject:
- Art, Art History
This chapter turns to the notebooks of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century students of logic in Paris and Leuven to demonstrate further the ways in which visual representations, including diagrams of ...
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This chapter turns to the notebooks of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century students of logic in Paris and Leuven to demonstrate further the ways in which visual representations, including diagrams of the Porphyrian tree and the square of opposition, along with allegorical and figurative illustrations, were critical in the teaching and development of Aristotelian scholastic philosophy. It shows that lecture notebooks, as well as contemporaneous alba amicorum, incorporate visual materials as a mode of philosophical thought in itself. The visual representations of lecture notebooks and friendship albums are discussed in the same chapter as both these bound manuscript sources functioned as a locus in which students could manipulate visual materials to reflect on philosophical questions in their own voices and with a certain amount of freedom. Furthermore, it shows the iconographic overlaps among the prints and drawings found in these sources.Less
This chapter turns to the notebooks of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century students of logic in Paris and Leuven to demonstrate further the ways in which visual representations, including diagrams of the Porphyrian tree and the square of opposition, along with allegorical and figurative illustrations, were critical in the teaching and development of Aristotelian scholastic philosophy. It shows that lecture notebooks, as well as contemporaneous alba amicorum, incorporate visual materials as a mode of philosophical thought in itself. The visual representations of lecture notebooks and friendship albums are discussed in the same chapter as both these bound manuscript sources functioned as a locus in which students could manipulate visual materials to reflect on philosophical questions in their own voices and with a certain amount of freedom. Furthermore, it shows the iconographic overlaps among the prints and drawings found in these sources.
Susanna Berger
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780691172279
- eISBN:
- 9781400885121
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691172279.003.0005
- Subject:
- Art, Art History
This chapter studies how early modern thinkers understood the connection between the generation of art and the generation of philosophical understanding. It argues that in this period, the generation ...
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This chapter studies how early modern thinkers understood the connection between the generation of art and the generation of philosophical understanding. It argues that in this period, the generation of mental representations was understood through practices of artistic production, and that the notion of generation itself was central to philosophy. The first section explores descriptions of cognition that compare thinking to the creation of artistic works. It discusses the accounts of a broad range of artists and scholars, including Dürer and Willibald Pirckheimer (1470–1530), Bosse and Girard Desargues (1591–1661), Descartes, and others to show how constant the association between artistic generation and mental generation was in this period. The second section examines the celebrated frontispiece to the Leviathan that Bosse created in collaboration with Hobbes. It argues that previous accounts of the frontispiece have failed to capture the full complexity of this etching. It offers a new account of this famous image — one that emphasizes the process of the state's generation.Less
This chapter studies how early modern thinkers understood the connection between the generation of art and the generation of philosophical understanding. It argues that in this period, the generation of mental representations was understood through practices of artistic production, and that the notion of generation itself was central to philosophy. The first section explores descriptions of cognition that compare thinking to the creation of artistic works. It discusses the accounts of a broad range of artists and scholars, including Dürer and Willibald Pirckheimer (1470–1530), Bosse and Girard Desargues (1591–1661), Descartes, and others to show how constant the association between artistic generation and mental generation was in this period. The second section examines the celebrated frontispiece to the Leviathan that Bosse created in collaboration with Hobbes. It argues that previous accounts of the frontispiece have failed to capture the full complexity of this etching. It offers a new account of this famous image — one that emphasizes the process of the state's generation.
Greg Carter
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9781628460216
- eISBN:
- 9781626740426
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781628460216.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, African-American History
Today, visual representations of racially mixed people reflect a general level of acceptance greater than past periods in US history. Marketing and casting executives use ambiguous-appearing bodies ...
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Today, visual representations of racially mixed people reflect a general level of acceptance greater than past periods in US history. Marketing and casting executives use ambiguous-appearing bodies to reach more segments of the public, and to evoke positive notions about diversity. These images seem to praise ambiguity and the disruptive potential of mixed race. However, some reflect a long-standing obsession with percentages of racial make-up, offering a rich field for analysis. From the eighteenth century to the present, through different media, visual representations of racially mixed people in the Americas have continued a tradition of organizing bodies into stable racial hierarchies.Less
Today, visual representations of racially mixed people reflect a general level of acceptance greater than past periods in US history. Marketing and casting executives use ambiguous-appearing bodies to reach more segments of the public, and to evoke positive notions about diversity. These images seem to praise ambiguity and the disruptive potential of mixed race. However, some reflect a long-standing obsession with percentages of racial make-up, offering a rich field for analysis. From the eighteenth century to the present, through different media, visual representations of racially mixed people in the Americas have continued a tradition of organizing bodies into stable racial hierarchies.
Pippa Skotnes
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780520229488
- eISBN:
- 9780520927292
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520229488.003.0011
- Subject:
- History, World Modern History
This chapter examines the political aspects of the visual representations of South African Bushmen. It describes three episodes in the history of these visual representations. These are the creation ...
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This chapter examines the political aspects of the visual representations of South African Bushmen. It describes three episodes in the history of these visual representations. These are the creation of an archive of /Xam traditions in the 1870s and 1880s, the making of a diorama at the South African Museum in Cape Town and the author's own installation of an art exhibit at the South African National Gallery in 1996. This chapter explains that the archive was a collaborative project in which the /Xam were offered a means to express themselves and the diorama was a European construction of the primitive hunter-gatherer.Less
This chapter examines the political aspects of the visual representations of South African Bushmen. It describes three episodes in the history of these visual representations. These are the creation of an archive of /Xam traditions in the 1870s and 1880s, the making of a diorama at the South African Museum in Cape Town and the author's own installation of an art exhibit at the South African National Gallery in 1996. This chapter explains that the archive was a collaborative project in which the /Xam were offered a means to express themselves and the diorama was a European construction of the primitive hunter-gatherer.
Susanna Berger
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780691172279
- eISBN:
- 9781400885121
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691172279.003.0001
- Subject:
- Art, Art History
This chapter explores the ways in which visual representations both succeeded and failed as instruments of knowledge. It opens with an account of a dissertation about methods of learning with ...
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This chapter explores the ways in which visual representations both succeeded and failed as instruments of knowledge. It opens with an account of a dissertation about methods of learning with mnemonic printed images that appeared in a revised edition in 1731 and was authored by Siegmund Jacob Apin (1693–1732). The first part of this treatise refers to key pedagogical visual representations of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, including the works of Jan Amos Comenius (1592–1670), Johannes Buno (1617–1697), Andreas Vesalius (1514–1564), and Leonard Fuchs (1501–1566). Among the philosophical prints discussed by Apin are the illustrated thesis prints of Meurisse, Chéron, and Gaultier. In the second part of the dissertation, Apin presents criticisms of mnemonic images. Apin's dissertation allows us to appreciate both the early modern interest in epistemological visual representations and some of the reasons for the demise of the philosophical plural image over the course of the 1700s.Less
This chapter explores the ways in which visual representations both succeeded and failed as instruments of knowledge. It opens with an account of a dissertation about methods of learning with mnemonic printed images that appeared in a revised edition in 1731 and was authored by Siegmund Jacob Apin (1693–1732). The first part of this treatise refers to key pedagogical visual representations of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, including the works of Jan Amos Comenius (1592–1670), Johannes Buno (1617–1697), Andreas Vesalius (1514–1564), and Leonard Fuchs (1501–1566). Among the philosophical prints discussed by Apin are the illustrated thesis prints of Meurisse, Chéron, and Gaultier. In the second part of the dissertation, Apin presents criticisms of mnemonic images. Apin's dissertation allows us to appreciate both the early modern interest in epistemological visual representations and some of the reasons for the demise of the philosophical plural image over the course of the 1700s.
Roland Baddeley, Benjamin Vincent, and David Attewell
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- August 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780262201742
- eISBN:
- 9780262295246
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262201742.003.0011
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Philosophy of Science
This chapter begins with a brief description of some pertinent properties of early vision. Human and nonhuman primates are highly visual animals; one important step in understanding how their brains ...
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This chapter begins with a brief description of some pertinent properties of early vision. Human and nonhuman primates are highly visual animals; one important step in understanding how their brains operate is to understand how they see. This is followed by a description of the basic approach that has been employed when using information theory-based ideas to gain a better understanding of early visual representations, and an illustration of this approach via three basic models. These models all share a number of assumptions about the nature of early visual representations and all use approximations to the visual input based on sampling from natural images. They differ, however, in that they propose that different constraints are important in understanding early perception. In conclusion, the chapter provides a very brief overview of some problems with the approach, together with some potentially interesting new directions to pursue.Less
This chapter begins with a brief description of some pertinent properties of early vision. Human and nonhuman primates are highly visual animals; one important step in understanding how their brains operate is to understand how they see. This is followed by a description of the basic approach that has been employed when using information theory-based ideas to gain a better understanding of early visual representations, and an illustration of this approach via three basic models. These models all share a number of assumptions about the nature of early visual representations and all use approximations to the visual input based on sampling from natural images. They differ, however, in that they propose that different constraints are important in understanding early perception. In conclusion, the chapter provides a very brief overview of some problems with the approach, together with some potentially interesting new directions to pursue.
