Diagrammatic Reasoning: abstraction, interaction, and insight

TY - JOUR

T1 - Diagrammatic Reasoning

T2 - abstraction, interaction, and insight

AU - Stjernfelt, Frederik

AU - Raszaczek-Leonardi, Joanna

AU - Bjørndahl, Johanne

AU - Tylèn, Kristian

AU - Fusaroli, Riccardo

AU - Østergaard, Svend

PY - 2014/5/1

Y1 - 2014/5/1

N2 - Many types of everyday and specialized reasoning depend on diagrams: we use maps to find our way, we draw graphs and sketches to communicate concepts and prove geometrical theorems, and we manipulate diagrams to explore new creative solutions to problems. The active involvement and manipulation of representational artifacts for purposes of thinking and communicating is discussed in relation to C.S. Peirce's notion of diagrammatical reasoning. We propose to extend Peirce's original ideas and sketch a conceptual framework that delineates different kinds of diagram manipulation: Sometimes diagrams are manipulated in order to profile known information in an optimal fashion. At other times diagrams are explored in order to gain new insights, solve problems or discover hidden meaning potentials. The latter cases often entail manipulations that either generate additional information or extract information by means of abstraction. Ideas are substantiated by reference to ethnographic, experimental and historical examples.

AB - Many types of everyday and specialized reasoning depend on diagrams: we use maps to find our way, we draw graphs and sketches to communicate concepts and prove geometrical theorems, and we manipulate diagrams to explore new creative solutions to problems. The active involvement and manipulation of representational artifacts for purposes of thinking and communicating is discussed in relation to C.S. Peirce's notion of diagrammatical reasoning. We propose to extend Peirce's original ideas and sketch a conceptual framework that delineates different kinds of diagram manipulation: Sometimes diagrams are manipulated in order to profile known information in an optimal fashion. At other times diagrams are explored in order to gain new insights, solve problems or discover hidden meaning potentials. The latter cases often entail manipulations that either generate additional information or extract information by means of abstraction. Ideas are substantiated by reference to ethnographic, experimental and historical examples.

KW - Faculty of Humanities

KW - diagrams

KW - reasoning

KW - abstraction

KW - collaboration

KW - conversation

U2 - 10.1075/pc.22.2.06tyl.

DO - 10.1075/pc.22.2.06tyl.

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0929-0907

VL - 22

SP - 264

EP - 283

JO - Pragmatics and Cognition

JF - Pragmatics and Cognition

IS - 2

ER -