The Treachery of Images: Why Images Do not Exist and…

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DC Field	Value
dc.identifier	ECF_article_5213
dc.title	The Treachery of Images: Why Images Do not Exist and There Are Only Flat Objects
dc.contributor.author	Manzotti Riccardo
dc.publisher	Edizioni Ca’ Foscari - Digital Publishing, Fondazione Università Ca’ Foscari
dc.type	Research Article
dc.language.iso	en
dc.identifier.uri	http://edizionicafoscari.it/en/edizioni4/riviste/the-journal-for-the-philosophy-of-language-mind-an/2021/1/the-treachery-of-images-why-images-do-not-exist-an/
dc.description.abstract	Do images exist? In this paper I argue that the notion of an image is ontologically empty – i.e., images are no more than a cultural invention akin to epicycles in astronomy. There are only flat objects engaged in various causal roles. In this paper I will defend the thesis that in visual culture, in the neurosciences, and in philosophy of mind, there is no convincing evidence in favor of their existence. Moreover, I will outline a series of arguments aiming at showing that images do not exist. I will discuss briefly discuss why many authors – from the iconic turn to the neurosciences – use the notion of image as though it were something real. I will conclude suggesting to drop the subject-object divide and to consider a completely flat ontology made only of (relative) objects.
dc.relation.ispartof	JoLMA
dc.relation.ispartof	Vol. 2 \| Issue 1 \| June 2021
dc.issued	2021-06-30
dc.dateSubmitted	2021-03-16
dc.identifier.issn
dc.identifier.eissn	2723-9640
dc.rights	Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License
dc.rights.uri	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.identifier.doi	10.30687/Jolma/2723-9640/2021/01/006
dc.peer-review	yes
dc.subject	Body
dc.subject	Body
dc.subject	Images
dc.subject	Images
dc.subject	Mind-Object Identity
dc.subject	Mind-Object Identity
dc.subject	Philosophy of Mind
dc.subject	Philosophy of Mind
dc.subject	Pictures
dc.subject	Pictures

Research Article
open access peer reviewed

The Treachery of Images: Why Images Do not Exist and There Are Only Flat Objects

Riccardo Manzotti Università IULM, Italia

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abstract

Do images exist? In this paper I argue that the notion of an image is ontologically empty – i.e., images are no more than a cultural invention akin to epicycles in astronomy. There are only flat objects engaged in various causal roles. In this paper I will defend the thesis that in visual culture, in the neurosciences, and in philosophy of mind, there is no convincing evidence in favor of their existence. Moreover, I will outline a series of arguments aiming at showing that images do not exist. I will discuss briefly discuss why many authors – from the iconic turn to the neurosciences – use the notion of image as though it were something real. I will conclude suggesting to drop the subject-object divide and to consider a completely flat ontology made only of (relative) objects.

Published

June 30, 2021

Submitted

March 16, 2021

Language

Keywords: Body • Pictures • Mind-Object Identity • Philosophy of Mind • Images

permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/Jolma/2723-9640/2021/01/006

Copyright: © 2021 Riccardo Manzotti. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

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