{"id":843,"date":"2026-02-20T18:17:29","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T23:17:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elena.holmgren.ca\/?page_id=843"},"modified":"2026-02-20T18:17:29","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T23:17:29","slug":"representation-as-sensorimotor-orientation-the-role-of-non-propositional-spatial-simulation-in-scientific-representation","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/elena.holmgren.ca\/?page_id=843","title":{"rendered":"Representation as Sensorimotor Orientation: The Role of Non-Propositional, Spatial Simulation in Scientific Representation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>\u2013<em>Nov. 2019<\/em> \u2013 Western Canadian Philosophical Association Conference, Lethbridge, Alberta <em>*Winner of the WCPA Best Graduate Student Essay Prize*<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Abstract: <\/em>The pervasive use of images and diagrams in science has recently garnered a great deal of debate in the literature on scientific representation. Bechtel et al. (2013) argue that images aren\u2019t merely contingently useful tools that scientists use in order to communicate scientific findings. Rather, they suggest that images are a constitutive part of scientific theories. This is because images represent worldly mechanisms in ways that draw on scientists\u2019 capacity for spatial simulation. However, the authors\u2019 account seems to be at odds with the fact that the congenitally blind are also capable of spatial simulations despite lacking visual input. I argue in support of Bechtel et al. that the contingency of visual imagery does not rule out its constitutive role since it forms an integral part of scientists\u2019 sensorimotor coupling with the world. Furthermore, I argue that scientists\u2019 reliance on imagery and spatial simulation shows that there is a crucial non-propositional and perceptual component at work in scientific representation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-black-color has-text-color has-background has-link-color wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/elena.holmgren.ca\/?page_id=827#conference_presentations\" style=\"background-color:#e9dfd4c7\"><strong>back to Talks<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u2013Nov. 2019 \u2013 Western Canadian Philosophical Association Conference, Lethbridge, Alberta *Winner of the WCPA Best Graduate Student Essay Prize* Abstract: The pervasive use of images and diagrams in science has recently garnered a great deal of debate in the literature on scientific representation. Bechtel et al. (2013) argue that images aren\u2019t merely contingently useful tools&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-843","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/elena.holmgren.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/843","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/elena.holmgren.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/elena.holmgren.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elena.holmgren.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/elena.holmgren.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=843"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/elena.holmgren.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/843\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":844,"href":"https:\/\/elena.holmgren.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/843\/revisions\/844"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/elena.holmgren.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=843"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}