What the Beauty of Images Exemplifies: Considerations about Scientific Images and Understanding.

Scientific images are not only theory-laden, but they are exemplars of models of scientific data. Here, I argue that the aesthetic values of images play an epistemic role in science by enhancing our scientific understanding of what they represent. I claim that images in science are exemplars of models and that, when aesthetically virtuous, they constitute a great aid for the furthering of our scientific understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]