On Images as Evidence and Arguments

Abstract

That the addition of visuals, be they pictures, diagrams, charts or what-have-you, can make an argument more persuasive there can be no doubt. There is still a question as to whether visuals can make a logical difference as opposed to enhancing the rhetorical strength of an argument. Here opinions divide. Some are skeptical that images can do any work other than rhetorical. Others think that images can carry arguments independently. And some think that images can carry at least some parts of some arguments. In this paper I argue for modest position: In assessing argumentation, the truth of some claim is verified, corroborated or refuted by some visual means. Moreover, the manner in which these visuals do their work is evidentiary. This evidentiary role for visuals can be extended to account for the use of visuals in some mathematical argumentation.