Science from Sight to Insight: How Scientists Illustrate Meaning

摘要

Although I knew that Science from Sight to Insight: How Scientists Illustrate Meaning would be about visuals in scientific communication, I was surprised at the depth of the research and philosophy behind the complex foundation of this book, which is an attempt to develop "a general theory of verbal-visual interaction in the communication of science"(p. 2). Today, science is a public interest with a solid place in popular media. We use scientific illustrations, graphics, or information graphics to communicate meaning to a population that often has limited knowledge or understanding of highly complex scientific notions. The heart of the book is taking readers through a scientific and "synthetic" process to understand how visualization practices work regarding communicating scientific meaning. Readers need to understand the changes in scientific visualization over time, and not just that "scientific visuals evolved, but that they evolved in a certain direction"(p. 79). Gross and Harmon begin discussing Heidegger's philosophy of science, then include how scientific visualization is influenced by Gestalt theory, cognitive psychology, dual coding theory, semiotics, history, sociology, and other exigencies. The authors discuss scientific visualization evolution from a historical and technological perspective, such as how PowerPoint and the Internet change the way we conduct, share, and even understand science.