Synopses & Reviews
John Daltonandrsquo;s molecular structures. Scatter plots and geometric diagrams. Watson and Crickandrsquo;s double helix. The way in which scientists understand the worldandmdash;and the key concepts that explain itandmdash;is undeniably bound up in not only words, but images. Moreover, from PowerPoint presentations to articles in academic journals, scientific communication routinely relies on the relationship between words and pictures. In Science from Sight to Insight, Alan G. Grossand#160; and Joseph E. Harmon present a short history of the scientific visual, and then formulate a theory about the interaction between the visual and textual. With great insight and admirable rigor, the authors argue that scientific meaning itself comes from the complex interplay between the verbal and the visual in the form of graphs, diagrams, maps, drawings, and photographs. The authors use a variety of tools to probe the nature of scientific images, from Heideggerandrsquo;s philosophy of science to Peirceandrsquo;s semiotics of visual communication. Their synthesis of these elements offers readers an examination of scientific visuals at a much deeper and more meaningful level than ever before.and#160;and#160;
Review
"Anyone with any interest in the history and evolution of the scientific literature should read this book. I do not know any other study of the birth, growth, and character of scientific literature that comes close to this one in breadth of disciplines and languages considered and in depth of analysis. ... I hope Gross, Harmon, and Reidy get the audience that they deserve among CSE members. They have given all of us who work for scientific journals an extraordinarily detailed and rich study of where scientific papers came from, how they have changed, and where they are today."--Science Editor
"The book succeeds in meticulously unpacking the argumentative strategies that have evolved over the centuries in attempts to express an increasingly complex set of knowledge claims, the statements science makes about reality."--Technical Communication
Review
and#8220;Too often scientific images are treated as afterthoughts . . . . Without imagery, science loses at least half of its meaning. The authors construct their theory regarding the importance of the interplay between visual and textual information in science using raw material mined from psychology, phenomenology, and other disciplinesand#8212;all with the goal of demarginalizing science imagery.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;Beyond aesthetics, scientific illustration must effectively communicate factual information in a clear and visually compelling way. Gross and Harmon present their extended insight that scientific images have epistemic importance, using well-supported reasoning, illustrations, and examples ranging from Socrates, da Vinci, and Shakespeare to Heidegger and McLuhan. . . . An intriguing exploration of ideas. Recommended.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;
Science from Sight to Insight addresses a question identified by scholars across the science studies spectrum: What role do visuals play in the formation and communication of scientific arguments? Gross and Harmon address this question with a theory of visualization in science rooted in philosophy, psychology, and semiotics, and they illustrate their theory in a fascinating sampling of cases that display their command of the history of science communication and of close reading practices. The book is a major contribution on a critically important subject.and#8221;
Review
and#8220;Modern science transforms the world as picture, claimed Martin Heidegger. Gross and Harmon take this insight and trace it through multiple sciences, disciplines, and historical examples showing how science uses words and images, verbal and visual interactivity for its powers of insight. This book is a tour-de-force which has reaped lessons from recent science studies and is a must read.and#8221;
Review
"Extensive research and sophisticated discussions."
Review
andquot;Gross and Harmon tackle a subject of great importance to scholars of scientific discourse across disciplinary boundaries: the role of visuals in scientific arguments. . . . Gross and Harmonandrsquo;s addition to science studies with this book, ambitious in its scope and meticulous in its analyses, cannot be over-estimated.andquot;
Review
andldquo;Gross and Harmon tackle a subject of great importance to scholars of scientific discourse across disciplinary boundaries: the role of visuals in scientific arguments. One of this bookandrsquo;s major contributions to the field is its advancement of a theory of verbal-visual interaction to account for how scientific meaning is communicated. . . . Those who study scientific communication and who are interested in the role of visualizations in scientific arguments will have much to gain from reading Gross and Harmonandrsquo;s new book. . . .and#160; The complexity of the framework advanced in this book opens up many opportunities for further exploration. On the whole, Gross and Harmonandrsquo;s addition to science studies with this book, ambitious in its scope and meticulous in its analyses, cannot be over-estimated.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;Although I knew that Science from Sight to Insight 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. . . . Professionals who are actively involved in scientific visualization studies will appreciate the vast and deep examination of applicable literature that gives Gross and Harmon the basis for their own argument. . . . Highly relevant to graduate students studying scientific and technical communication. . . . Meticulously researched and explained.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;The soon-to-be-classic book on the topic. . . . Groundbreaking. . . . Sight to Insight has a tightly charted framework. . . . Gross and Harmon go a very long way toward enriching and anchoring a potent visual rhetoric of science.andrdquo;
Synopsis
This book describes the development of the scientific article from its modest beginnings to the global phenomenon that it has become today. Their analysis of a large sample of texts in French, English, and German focuses on the changes in the style, organization, and argumentative structure of scientific communication over time. They also speculate on the future currency of the scientific article, as it enters the era of the World Wide Web. This book is an outstanding resource text in the rhetoric of science, and will stand as the definitive study on the topic.
About the Author
Alan G. Gross is professor of communication studies at the University of Minnesotaandmdash;Twin Cities. He is the author or coauthor of several books, including The Rhetoric of Science and Starring the Text: The Place of Rhetoric in Science Studies. Joseph E. Harmon works as a science writer and editor at Argonne National Laboratory. He is the coauthor with Alan Gross of several books, including Communicating Science, The Scientific Literature: A Guided Tour and The Craft of Scientific Communication.and#160;
Table of Contents
Introduction: Verbal- Visual Interaction in Science
1. A Framework for Understanding Verbal- Visual Interaction
2. Understanding Scientifi c Visuals and Tables: A Taxonomy
3. Visual Evolution and the Heideggerian Transformation
4. Verbal- Visual Interaction and Scientifi c Argument: The Contexts of Discovery and Justifi cation
5. Visual Argument and Narrative in the and#147;Historicaland#8221; Sciences: The Example of Geology
6. Verbal- Visual Interaction in the Victorian Discovery of Deep Time
7. The Public Science Lecture: PowerPoint Transforms a Genre
8. Weaving the Web of Scientifi c Knowledge: Visuals on the Internet
Acknowledgments
References
Index