Put an artistic eye on scientific practices: A Bourdieu-Bayesian model

• In Event: 4307 - Integrating Qualitative and Quantitative Methodologies

Abstract

Based on Pierre Bourdieu’s sociology of art and Bayesian reasoning of quantum physics, a model for observing scientists’ practices by way of visual representation, named as Bourdieu-Bayesian (BB) model is provided in this article. Biomedical scientists utilize visual representation to communicate with their peers. They must make invisible objects, concepts and practices visible. While their scientific findings must be universally ‘true,’ they may have very different styles to represent the processes, proofs, results and arguments. It is in the styles of representation that social factors enter in scientific practices. Bourdieu’s disposition theory is to cope with the social effects on artistic practices. Also, a new branch of modern physics called quantum-Bayesianism provides a way for subjective reasoning of quantum states. Therefore, by combining a scientist’s experiences and social conditions, we can have the BB model to predict styles and forms that the scientist is most likely to imply in visual representation. Three East Asian scientists in the field of regenerative medicine are chosen as samples to test the BB model. Different styles of artworks in their patent applications prove that, by putting their experiences and social conditions together, it is possible to identify the inventors by any observer who has established some background knowledge about the styles, even though the observer is an outsider.

Author

• Tzung-wen Chen, National Chengchi University