Parsing pictures: on analyzing the content of images in science

In this paper I tackle the question of what basic form an analytical method for articulating and ultimately assessing visual representations should take. I start from the assumption that scientific images, being less prone to interpretive complication than artworks, are ideal objects from which to engage this question. I then assess a recent application of Nelson Goodman’s aesthetics to the project of parsing scientific images, Laura Perini’s “The Truth in Pictures.” I argue that, although her project is an important one, her Goodmanian conventionalism produces a method of analysis that is incapable of adequately parsing a certain class of pictures and her focus on truth is unnecessary. This speaks against the promise of Goodman’s analytical strategy for elucidating visual content and reasoning in the sciences and elsewhere. As an alternative, I develop John Willats’ analytical method and compare it to Perini’s through engaging three of her examples—a chemical diagram, a graph and an electron micrograph. Ultimately, a space remains open for a mixed system where 1 Important aspects of this work were developed during my dissertation research. While Dr. Kathleen Okruhlik was integral to the development of that project, the central ideas that are discussed here owe most to Dr. Patrick Maynard, who introduced me to the works of Kendall Walton and John Willats and showed me how beautifully they compliment each other. Thank you also to the Philosophy Department at Dalhousie University for feedback on an earlier draft and particularly to Dr. Mélanie Frappier whose criticism and support have been