Image schemas and political ontology

Image schemas and political ontology

In this paper theoretical discourses of political philosophy and economic theory are discussed in terms of schematic representations. These representations capture important features of the idealised cognitive models structuring political and economic discourse. Political theory provides the context with which to show how the use of visual and concrete representations (images) of conceptual metaphors can be used as a tool for exposing, analysing and testing the ontological commitments structuring theories in the sciences and social sciences. Significantly, Kuhn's (1962) argument that scientific research is based on the exploitation and extension of 'concrete analogy[s]' – understood as 'picture[s] of concrete object[s]' is developed to show how concrete images or analogies can be used as a tool for conducting metaphoric analysis. This leads to my suggesting alternative ways of thinking about gestalt images, visual perception, representation, image and motor schemas. I then demonstrate the use of models and metaphors as manipulable material artefacts to explore the ontological commitments of social sciences such as political theory.

Paper presented at: 2nd International Conference on Communication, Cognition and Media: Political and Economic Discourse 19-21 Sep 2012 in Portugal.