Diagram terms and schematics

The following gives an abstracted and formal description of how the onto-epistemograms work through a description of its terms. The instructions page will give a better introduction to how these diagrams work – this is intended to remove ambiguities and address possible uncertainties or criticisms, and enable its use as a technical tool for other practice-based research. To this end, there are also some remarks on some facets of this diagramming language.

Terms of onto-epistemograms

Of and within phenomena

Phenomenon (P|o): A phenomenon consists of a process (of observation, creation, etc) and an object (that is observed, created etc). There will normally be a cut between these elements within a phenomenon, but this will not always be the case.

A diagram of a basic phenomenon, showing a constitutive process encircling an object

Process P: This may be an apparatus of observation, a process of creation or something else. Represented by a large circle encircling an object. It would be unusual to represent a process without an object inside it. The outer edges will normally be fuzzy – there is some indistinction as to where the process begins or ends. At times, a process may be encircled by another process, representing an attempt to understand the operation of an apparatus. In such instances, the process may also be an object, depending where the cut is placed.

Object o: This may be a created object, an object of observation or something else. Represented by a small circle inside a process. The object must strictly never exist in the diagram as its own entity, only ever within a process. In many diagrams, the object will be surrounded by a cut (see below). If there is no cut, the line between process and object will be blurred – this represents a lack of clarity, for instance to what extent an observation tells us something about an object or is an artefact of a process.

Cut | : A white dotted line mark the delineation between observing agency and observed object. There will normally only be one cut in each phenomena. The line between any other (P|o) should be a simple blur between the colours of the two circles. If you wish to show two successive cuts, one of these two cuts should be blurred.

Within and between phenomena

A diagram of a generative phenomenon, showing a constitutive process encircling an object, producing a new phenomenon

Generation ->: A process may create a new phenomenon as a consequence of its being acted upon by object. Represented by a thick line emanating from a process, with an arrow from the source object, terminating in a new object. This object must be presented coupled with a new process – otherwise there is no way for it to be known or constitute.

A diagram of a set of generative phenomena, with the final process ’touching’ the first process. The text reads: “here, the evaluative process ’touches’ the starting process, influencing and iterating it in undisclosed ways.” A second diagram shows this touching as a separate process, where the evaluative process generates a revised starting process as an object of investigation. The text reads “The touching of processes can be diagrammed as the production of a new object of investigation … Touching thus offers a form of compression, allowing diagrams to be focussed while acknowledging intraconnections”

Touching -{: A process may touch another, influencing its operations in ways which the diagram leaves indeterminate. Any attempt to untangle this indeterminate touching requires a different diagram, which show the intra-actions and interactions between these different apparatuses reframed as observed objects.

A diagram of a generative phenomenon, showing the exclusions made at each stage as small objects in a dotted circle connected to its process through a dotted line. Text reads: “Exclusions should be shown on a partitioned area of the diagram. You can label each exclusion, or leave some unlabelled to denote unknown exclusions”. The first exclusion is labelled: “A sharp shape can show a clear exclusion - perhaps a certain kind of participant can’t access the process”. The second exclusion is labelled: “A fuzzy shape might be less clear - what other processes could we have tried?” A third exclusion is labelled: “You can use different shapes and colours suggestively - perhaps this is an object that could have been produced?” A fourth exclusions is labelled: “You can detail exclusions at each stage but you don’t have to – the point is to find the exclusions that matter”

Exclusion -x: Diagrams do not necessarily have to show exclusions, but this is an important option. These exclusions show what is stopped from becoming through the processes and cuts made, not what is excluded from the diagram (these may be hinted at by Touching). Exclusions are shown through a dotted line running horizontally from the Process, which terminate in a dotted circle. Within this circle, excluded possibilities are represented by small shapes, labelled with lines pointing to them. You may use creative license with the excluded objects, using different shapes, blurring, changing colours etc.

Advanced features: Co-generation, partial resolutions and indeterminacy

These features designate complex states within the phenomena investigated.

A diagram of co-generative phenomena, showing a constitutive process encircling an object, producing a new phenomenon – another constitutive process encircling an object that is producing the original phenomenon

Co-generation of phenomena <->: Two phenomena may co-generate each other iteratively. This is represented through a pair of phenomena, each generating the others object of investigation.

A diagram showing a constitutive process encircling another process encircling an object. The dotted line between the inner process and object is blurred, showing that the distinction between them has become indistinct as they now both constitute a single object

Partially erased cut +: A cut made within a phenomenon, which is then itself made internal to an investigated object, or (less typically) part of the investigating process through another cut. Such a cut is represented by a blurred dotted line. Such a phenomenon might be written (P|o+o). There is no limit to how many partially erased cuts may be in a phenomena.

Partially unresolved phenomenon (P#o): Like a normal phenomenon consists of a process (of observation, creation, etc) and an object (that is observed, created etc). There will normally be a cut between these elements within a phenomenon, but this will not always be the case.

The first diagram shows a phenomenon without a cut between the process and object, instead they blur into one another. The label text reads: &ldquo;there is no visible cut - though there is a recognisable process and a recognisable object, it is unclear within the pheno- menon where one begins and the other ends &ldquo;. The second diagram is a blurred circle. The label text reads: &ldquo;we might be able to name the phenomenon but other than that we don&rsquo;t know what is going on&rdquo;

Indeterminate state (#): An entirely indeterminate state e.g. a wave that is also a particle. Represented by a single, incredibly blurred circle.

Facets of language

  • Like any diagram, no onto-epistemogram is or can ever be a totalising explanation of what it describes. Every onto-epistemogram represents a particular perspective at a particular scale.
  • It is expected that some perspectives and scales that cannot be represented – either well, or at all – using this diagramming language.
  • Processes (P) are never entirely explained within the language – this is a feature of the language. If a process is the object of explanation, it would be rendered as an object in the diagram.
  • Touching is never labelled or explained, rather it is a stands for important relations that cannot be rendered as (P) or (o) on the diagram’s scale or perspective.
  • The directionality of a diagram may suggest temporality, but this is not necessarily the case. For instance, the apparatus for a later part of the diagram might be created first, and then apparatuses which are prior in in the flow are created to translate phenomena into forms amenable to this apparatus. Even if temporally prior, processes at the start of the flow may be altered by processes later in the flow (for instance, by being directed towards that process).
  • Touching is particularly liable to work against the flow of the diagram, with later processes informing antecedent processes.

Notation

It is possible to write out a diagram as a list of propositions, using the symbols detailed. It may be useful to enumerate the different components, and provide a key for this. This notation can be used both to quickly notate a diagram without having to produce it graphically, so it can be iterated quickly. It can also be used to automate the production of diagrams, as well as expressing the relations in different media/forms (for instance, the automatic generation of basic “alt” text for accessible web displays of the image).

Example 1

A diagram of bat detection, schematicised below

(”//” denotes a comment.)

// Definitions
P1: bat detector heterodyning
o1: vibrations at given frequency
P2: experienced listening by ecologist
o2: bat call (of particular species)

// Relations
(P1|o1)->(P2|o2) //First phenomenon generates second phenomenon
(P2|o2)-{(P1|o1) //Second phenomenon touches first phenomenon

Example 2

A diagram of a heterodyne bat detector&rsquo;s , schematicised below

// Defintions
P1: heterodyning at 55 kHz
o1: vibrations at given frequency
x1: sounds above 55 kHz
x2: sounds below 55 kHz
x3: filtered out components of heterodyne output
x4: participation of people who are hard of hearing

(P1|o1)-x1 // First phenomenon makes first exclusions
(P1|o1)-x2 // And so on
(P1|o1)-x3
(P1|o1)-x4