Depiction and Convention

The Monist 58 (2):255-268 (1974)
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Abstract

Nelson Goodman has provided one of the most exciting advances in semiotic aesthetics in years in his recent book, Languages of Art. Among other theses that Goodman defends is the claim that pictures are elements of symbol systems to be understood in the way that languages are understood: that depiction and description are species of a common genus which is to be understood in terms of denotation. One of the consequences Goodman draws from his theory is that depiction is conventional: the fact that a certain picture depicts a man is as much a matter of convention as the fact that a certain phrase describes him. This claim is interesting and exciting, but is it correct? Unfortunately, I do not think we are yet in a position to answer this last question, although I shall try to get nearer to an answer in this paper.

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John G. Bennett
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (PhD)

Citations of this work

Pictures, Propositions, and Predicates.Dominic Gregory - 2020 - American Philosophical Quarterly 57 (2):155-170.
Depiction and convention.Ben Blumson - 2008 - Dialectica 62 (3):335-348.
Depictive Structure?Ben Blumson - 2011 - Philosophical Papers 40 (1):1-25.

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