Photography and Philosophy: Essays on the Pencil of Nature

Front Cover
Scott Walden
John Wiley & Sons, Apr 30, 2008 - Photography - 344 pages
This anthology offers a fresh approach to the philosophical aspects of photography. The essays, written by contemporary philosophers in a thorough and engaging manner, explore the far-reaching ethical dimensions of photography as it is used today.
  • 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
 

Contents

Essays on the Pencil of Nature Introduction
1
Essays on the Pencil of Nature 1 Transparent Pictures On the Nature of Photographic Realism
14
Essays on the Pencil of Nature 2 Photographs and Icons
50
Essays on the Pencil of Nature 3 Photographs as Evidence
70
Essays on the Pencil of Nature 4 Truth in Photography
91
Essays on the Pencil of Nature 5 Documentary Authority and the Art of Photography
111
Essays on the Pencil of Nature 6 Photography and Representation
138
Essays on the Pencil of Nature 7 How Photographs Signify CartierBressons Reply to Scruton
167
Essays on the Pencil of Nature 9 True Appreciation
210
Essays on the Pencil of Nature 10 Landscape and Still Life Static Representations of Static Scenes
231
Essays on the Pencil of Nature 11 The Problem with Movie Stars
248
Essays on the Pencil of Nature 12 Pictures of King Arthur Photography and the Power of Narrative
265
Essays on the Pencil of Nature 13 The Naked Truth
284
Essays on the Pencil of Nature Epilogue
309
Essays on the Pencil of Nature Bibliography
310
Essays on the Pencil of Nature Index
318

Essays on the Pencil of Nature 8 Scales of Space and Time in Photography Perception Points Two Ways
187

Other editions - View all

Common terms and phrases

About the author (2008)

Scott Walden is Visiting Scholar in the Philosophy Department at New York University. His interest in photographic theory emerges from his training in philosophy and his practice of photography. His philosophical work has been published in the British Journal of Aesthetics, and his photographic work in his recent book Places Lost: In Search of Newfoundland's Resettled Communities (2003).

Bibliographic information