ABSTRACT
Visual displays produced by mechanized imaging techniques-in which the visible features of the display are the result of the interaction between specimen and imaging technology-play important roles in generating scientific knowledge. Mechanically produced images (MPIs) include photographs, X-ray films, and autoradiographs.1 MPIs are often used by scientists to evaluate hypotheses. They typically play that evidential role by functioning as visual representations, defined as visual displays in which some spatial features of the display are interpreted to represent features of the referent (see Perini 2005). However, research talks and publications rarely include figures that are simply reproductions of the MPIs originally produced; instead the MPIs are altered in various ways. This is somewhat surprising, since the mechanistic connection between image and the specimen seems to be crucial to the evidential roles MPIs play. This contribution aims to explore the epistemic issues involved with the use of altered MPIs in scientific reasoning.
