Toward a Progressive Model of Graphicacy. Cartesian Diagrams and the Restructuring of Cognitive Space

The Cartesian representation of space stands as a paradigmatic case of advanced graphicacy. It requires more than the visual decoding of lines and symbols; it calls for the development of what might be termed synsemic literacy—a capacity to interpret the spatial organization of graphic elements as a coherent and meaningful structure. This kind of literacy might be comparable in complexity and cognitive depth to verbal reading. Cartesian diagrams, through their bi- or tri-axial structures and the encoding of quantitative meaning into two-dimensional space, represent a highly conventionalized form of representation—one that diverges markedly from the spontaneous spatial intuitions typically observed in children and in cultures without formal schooling.