Reading Scientific Images

Visual literacy is the ability to read and understand images. While we are taught to read and write words at school, no focused attention is given to teaching the skills to read images other than as ‘art’ or attractive illustrations of the words we read in schools. However, in the Life Sciences images are not mere illustrative supplements to written texts, but are indispensable for communicating complex ideas and concepts, and, if visual literacy doesn’t develop ‘naturally’ many will battle to grasp the full meaning of scientific images.

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.

Reading Science looks at the distinctive language of science and technology and the role it plays in building up scientific understandings of the world. It brings together discourse analysis and critical theory for the first time