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Photography and Philosophy: Essays on the Pencil of Nature edited by walden, scott

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ZED ADAMS, Photography and Philosophy: Essays on the Pencil of Nature edited by walden, scott , The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism , Volume 68, Issue 3, August 2010, Pages 319–320, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6245.2010.01423_9.x

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WALDEN, SCOTT, ed. Photography and Philosophy:Essays on the Pencil of Nature. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2008, xii + 325 pp., $79.95 cloth.

Putting together a collection of new essays is difficult. If contributors are given free rein to write on anything relating to a specific topic, the result is usually more a reflection of their independent interests than a coherent collection of essays. If the editor tries to ensure coherence by dictating the topics to be addressed by individual authors, their contributions usually end up being more like encyclopedia entries than original essays. One of the most attractive features of Scott Walden's collection, Photography and Philosophy: Essays on the Pencil of Nature , is that it successfully avoids both of these pitfalls. Walden does this by structuring the volume around a series of responses to two influential, previously published essays in the philosophy of photography, both of which are reprinted in the volume. The resulting collection has the feel of an extended conversation on a variety of related topics by a community of philosophers who are intimately familiar with one another's work. The overarching theme of their conversation is the philosophical significance of the mechanical nature of photography.

The two previously published essays that anchor Walden's volume are Kendall Walton's “Transparent Pictures” and Roger Scruton's “Photography and Representation.” (There is also a previously published piece by Arthur Danto, but it is not part of the main conversation of the book.) Walton's and Scruton's essays partake in the tradition of provoking philosophical discussion and debate by saying something that no one could really believe (or, at least, something that one might think no one could really believe). Walton, for instance, argues that looking at photographs is akin to looking through telescopes into the past. He claims that we literally see through photographs into the past and thereby come into direct contact with the actual states of affairs that they depict. This capacity of photographs gives them special epistemic status, because we are literally seeing something that once happened. In order to explain this capacity of photographs, Walton introduces an abstract characterization of what it is for a representation to be mechanically produced. On his account, a photograph is mechanically produced insofar as the content of the photograph is independent of the content of the photographer's own beliefs about what the photograph depicts. Scruton's argument starts from a similar claim, that photographs are mechanically produced insofar as they are representations that do not express their makers’ thoughts about what they are representing. Scruton takes this possibility of photography to imply that the only aesthetic interest we can take in photographs is with regard to the aesthetic properties of the states of affairs that they depict. Once again, the idea is that we literally see through photographs to the actual states of affairs they depict. On both Walton's and Scruton's accounts, photographs are like telescopes or windows; in this sense, they are not really representations at all. Scruton takes this to imply that photography, as such, cannot be an art form, because it cannot itself be used to represent or express an artist's thoughts or feelings.

As you might imagine, many of the new essays written for this volume take issue with Walton's and Scruton's provocative claims. Cynthia Freeland offers an alternative explanation for the sense of direct contact that photographs sometimes provide: she argues that this is not because of photography's special epistemic status, but because photographs participate in the long tradition of making and using portraits in an attempt to maintain contact with the dead. It is unclear whether this implies that if one is skeptical about prephotographic attempts to use portraits to maintain contact with the dead, one should be similarly skeptical of the sense of direct contact that photographic portraits sometimes provide, or whether the mechanical nature of photography somehow allows it to succeed at doing something that previous forms of portraiture attempted but failed to do. Aaron Meskin and Jonathan Cohen critique the claim that we literally see through photographs on the grounds that photographs only provide us with information about how objects look, not where they are spatially located. Does this imply that we would not see through a sufficiently complicated periscope if it prevented us from spatially locating objects around multiple corners? Like Freeland, they propose to explain the sense of direct contact in photography in terms of psychological facts about the viewers of photographs, rather than in terms of any sort of special epistemic status of photographs themselves.

Scott Walden's own contribution attempts to refine Walton's account of the special epistemic status of photographs. Although he grants that the mechanical nature of photography is no guarantee that the beliefs we form from looking at them are true, he nonetheless thinks that a suitably refined account of the mechanical process of making photographs justifies thinking of them as an epistemically privileged sort of representation. I will return to this idea, which runs throughout the volume, at the end of my review. Barbara Savendoff explores some of the ways in which photographers are able to exploit the documentary authority of photography for artistic ends.

The two pieces that most directly engage with Scruton's essay are by David Davies and Patrick Maynard. They both argue against Scruton's claim that our only aesthetic interest in photographs is in the aesthetic properties of the states of affairs that they depict, on the grounds that the composition of photographic images involves a considerable amount of input from photographers. Maynard's essay, in particular, introduces and discusses a number of useful concepts for understanding the successful composition of photographs (for example, negative space, dynamics, and rhythm). Both essays emphasize the ways in which certain forms of photography are valued precisely because photographers do not have complete control over the actual layout of the states of affairs in the world that their photographs depict. As Maynard puts this point, “[s]uccessful fishers are not criticized for not having placed the fish on their hooks or in their nets” (p. 207).

The remaining new essays in the volume, by Dominick McIver Lopes, Kendall Walton (his second essay in the volume), Noël Carroll, and Gregory Currie, do not directly engage with the previously published essays by Walton and Scruton but rather discuss related issues, especially with regard to aesthetic issues concerning the similarities and differences between photography and film. As I noted above, however, the overarching theme of this volume concerns the philosophical significance of the mechanical nature of photography. Several of the writers follow Walton in thinking that there is a deep difference between mechanically produced photographs and handmade images, and that we can explain this difference in terms of the way in which the content of photographs is independent of the content of photographers’ beliefs about what their photographs depict. I myself am skeptical about such an explanation for two reasons. First, this cannot be the right way to formulate a distinction between photographs and handmade images, since it is possible to create handmade images that equally well bypass the beliefs of their makers about what they depict. Tracing the outline shapes of the objects seen through a window will produce a handmade image that nonetheless bypasses its maker's beliefs about the objects depicted. Second, and more importantly, the possibility of such handmade images undermines Walton's explanation for thinking that photographs put us in direct contact with the states of affairs they depict, since we do not experience such handmade images as putting us in direct contact with what they depict. In short, if there is any substance to the idea that photographs put us in direct contact with what they depict, it must be because of something other than their mechanical nature (at least, as according to the abstract characterization of this mechanical nature that Walton introduces).

As a whole, Walden's collection is a valuable addition to the philosophical literature on photography. It is well organized and contains a sustained discussion of many of the more provocative claims that philosophers have made about photography. It is still an open question whether any of these claims are true, but rather than simply dwelling upon the banal truths that we all already agree upon, it is a lot more interesting to start, as Walden does, with the moments when philosophers are led to say things that are almost impossible to believe and work from there.

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Photography Philosophy 1st Edition

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• A first-of-its-kind anthology exploring the link between the art of photography and the theoretical questions it raises
• Written in a thorough and engaging manner
• Essayists are all contemporary philosophers who bring with them an exceptional understanding of the broader metaphysical issues pertaining to photography
• Takes a fresh look at some familiar issues - photographic truth, objectivity, and realism
• Introduces newer issues such as the ethical use of photography or the effect of digital-imaging technology on how we appreciate images
• ISBN-10 1444335081
• ISBN-13 978-1444335088
• Edition 1st
• Publisher WB
• Publication date March 19, 2010
• Language English
• Dimensions 6 x 0.78 x 9 inches
• Print length 344 pages
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Editorial Reviews

"How does one accept or deny 'reality' in photographic excursions? This is the central issue in this extraordinary compilation of 13 essays by contemporary philosophers who argue back and forth (in editor Walden's clever arrangement) so that readers must engage their own minds within the constantly conflicting (theoretical and personal) propositions/explanations. This is a rich, provocative, intelligent, challenging, and important compilation. Highly recommended." ( Choice , November 2008)

"Many of the essays are well written and indeed groundbreaking … .Given its overall depth, the anthology is worth reading by any critic, curator or student of the arts." ( Prefix Photo , 2008)

"Will enlighten the student and refresh the informed. Contributes greatly to the literature and will occupy a favorite spot on the book shelves." ( Metapsychology )

"Any adequate aesthetic theory must accommodate facts about the production, interpretation, and evaluation of photographic images. Scott Walden's valuable collection should help bring the realities and significance of photography into the philosophical mainstream; it provides rich and well-informed reflections upon epistemological, ontological, and evaluative aspects of photographic process and product." ― Robert Kraut , Ohio State University

"This is a first-rate collection of essays in the philosophy of photography by the leading figures in the analytic literature. Remarkably, it is also the first such collection to appear in English, running from the classic essays by Walton and Scruton right through to current work by leading exponents such as Lopes, Maynard, and Currie. Covering a range of questions foundational to the epistemology, ontology, ethics, and aesthetics of photography, it is probably the most wide-ranging single book available on the philosophy of photography to date. As such it is a real achievement, sure to foster debate." ― Diarmuid Costello , University of Warwick

From the Inside Flap

Unlike the numerous texts devoted to the subject of Film Theory, this collection contains essays specifically about the art form of Still Photography and the broader theoretical questions it raises. Written by contemporary philosophers in a thorough and engaging manner, it is an excellent resource for students studying aesthetics or fine arts and photography.

From the Back Cover

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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ WB; 1st edition (March 19, 2010)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 344 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1444335081
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1444335088
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.05 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.78 x 9 inches
• #832 in Photography Criticism & Essays (Books)
• #2,506 in Philosophy Aesthetics
• #29,174 in Professional

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Photography and Philosophy: Essays on the Pencil of Nature Paperback – Illustrated, March 29 2010

Purchase options and add-ons.

• A first-of-its-kind anthology exploring the link between the art of photography and the theoretical questions it raises
• Written in a thorough and engaging manner
• Essayists are all contemporary philosophers who bring with them an exceptional understanding of the broader metaphysical issues pertaining to photography
• Takes a fresh look at some familiar issues - photographic truth, objectivity, and realism
• Introduces newer issues such as the ethical use of photography or the effect of digital-imaging technology on how we appreciate images
• ISBN-10 1444335081
• ISBN-13 978-1444335088
• Edition 1st
• Publisher Wiley-Blackwell
• Publication date March 29 2010
• Language English
• Dimensions 15.24 x 1.98 x 22.86 cm
• Print length 344 pages
• See all details

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"How does one accept or deny 'reality' in photographic excursions? This is the central issue in this extraordinary compilation of 13 essays by contemporary philosophers who argue back and forth (in editor Walden's clever arrangement) so that readers must engage their own minds within the constantly conflicting (theoretical and personal) propositions/explanations. This is a rich, provocative, intelligent, challenging, and important compilation. Highly recommended." ( Choice , November 2008)

"Many of the essays are well written and indeed groundbreaking … .Given its overall depth, the anthology is worth reading by any critic, curator or student of the arts." ( Prefix Photo , 2008)

"Will enlighten the student and refresh the informed. Contributes greatly to the literature and will occupy a favorite spot on the book shelves." ( Metapsychology )

"Any adequate aesthetic theory must accommodate facts about the production, interpretation, and evaluation of photographic images. Scott Walden's valuable collection should help bring the realities and significance of photography into the philosophical mainstream; it provides rich and well-informed reflections upon epistemological, ontological, and evaluative aspects of photographic process and product." ― Robert Kraut , Ohio State University

"This is a first-rate collection of essays in the philosophy of photography by the leading figures in the analytic literature. Remarkably, it is also the first such collection to appear in English, running from the classic essays by Walton and Scruton right through to current work by leading exponents such as Lopes, Maynard, and Currie. Covering a range of questions foundational to the epistemology, ontology, ethics, and aesthetics of photography, it is probably the most wide-ranging single book available on the philosophy of photography to date. As such it is a real achievement, sure to foster debate." ― Diarmuid Costello , University of Warwick

From the Inside Flap

Unlike the numerous texts devoted to the subject of Film Theory, this collection contains essays specifically about the art form of Still Photography and the broader theoretical questions it raises. Written by contemporary philosophers in a thorough and engaging manner, it is an excellent resource for students studying aesthetics or fine arts and photography.

From the Back Cover

About the author, product details.

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wiley-Blackwell; 1st edition (March 29 2010)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 344 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1444335081
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1444335088
• Item weight ‏ : ‎ 476 g
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.24 x 1.98 x 22.86 cm
• #278 in Photography Criticism
• #1,347 in Photography Textbooks

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2010, The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism

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