Sartori, Lorenzo (2024) Why we love pictures (for the wrong reasons): A lesson from the picture of a black hole. [Preprint]

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Abstract

In this paper, I first show that similarity accounts of scientific pictures fail with more realistic cases of scientific pictures. My primary case study is the picture of a black hole, from which I develop an interpretation-based account of picture representation analogous to how models represent: a picture represents a designated target system iff, once interpreted, it exemplifies properties that are then imputed to the target via a de-idealising function. Then, I show that justification of the inferences from pictures crucially depends on their causal mechanisms of production, in contrast with the standard justificatory strategies we employ for model inferences.

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Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Sartori, Lorenzo lorenzo.sartori@imt.lucca.it 0000-0002-8457-7100
Keywords:	pictures, scientific representation, justification, black hole
Subjects:	General Issues > Evidence General Issues > Models and Idealization
Depositing User:	Dr. Lorenzo Sartori
Date Deposited:	26 Nov 2024 14:00
Last Modified:	26 Nov 2024 14:00
Item ID:	24263
Subjects:	General Issues > Evidence General Issues > Models and Idealization
Date:	2024
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/24263

Available Versions of this Item

• Why we love pictures (for the wrong reasons): A lesson from the picture of a black hole. (deposited 29 Oct 2024 12:57)
  • Why we love pictures (for the wrong reasons): A lesson from the picture of a black hole. (deposited 26 Nov 2024 14:00) [Currently Displayed]

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