Iconizing the Digital Humanities: Models and Modeling from a Semiotic Perspective

Abstract: Models are ubiquitous in the digital humanities. Against the backdrop of the recent discussion in the philosophy of science about what models are and what they do, this paper presents a semiotic perspective on models in the framework of Charles S. Peirce’s theory of signs that sheds light on the practice of modeling in the digital humanities. As a first step, it is argued that models are icons, i.e. signs that represent their specific objects by being regarded as similar to them; and that there are, in all, three basic types of model, namely “images,” “diagrams,” and “metaphors.” A second step explicates relevant implications of this model-theoretic approach, especially as they relate to the digital humanities. In particular, it is shown that models are not identical to the things they represent and that they only represent them partially; that the representation operates on the basis of a mapping relation between select properties of the model and its object; that each model and e

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• Alternative title: Die Ikonisierung der Digital Humanities: Modelle und Modellierung aus einer semiotischen Perspektive
• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: Online-Ressource
• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Iconizing the Digital Humanities: Models and Modeling from a Semiotic Perspective ; number:31 ; year:2018 ; pages:124-146 ; Veröffentlichungsversion ; begutachtet (peer reviewed) ; Historical social research / Supplement. Supplement ; Heft 31 (2018), 124-146

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Naturwissenschaften

Contributors, Places and Time

• Creator: Lattmann, Claas

Further information

• DOI: 10.12759/hsr.suppl.31.2018.124-146
• URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-2019071015041783446502
• Rights: Open Access; Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.