Visual Communication: Professor Lemanski awakens ancient philosophies!

Visual Communication: Professor Lemanski awakens ancient philosophies!

On April 10, 2025 it was announced that Jens Lemanski had taken on the position of adjunct professor at the FernUniversität Hagen. His research focus is on visual communication and the philosophy expressed through hand gestures. Important aspects of his work are the connection between sensory perception and cognitive processes.

Lemanski completed his habilitation at the FernUniversität in 2019 on the topic of “World and Logic” and is currently also working at the University of Münster and the University of Tübingen. In his online lectures he teaches logic and ontology for master's students and supervises doctorates at the Institute of Philosophy. An expert on logic diagrams, which are often neglected, he examines how visual and tactile signs that have historically played a role in philosophy have been pushed into the background.

The importance of gestures in communication

Lemanski is particularly interested in gestures that function as code sequences, similar to sign languages. This theme has historical roots, as students in the Middle Ages often worked without paper and relied on diagrams and gestures. Lemanski explains that certain types of lines in these diagrams can indicate truth statements. In his research he wants to find out whether the human body influences thinking, for example through the structure of the decimal system, which is based on the ten fingers.

Another fascinating area of ​​research is the communication abilities of chimpanzees, which also interact with gestures and demonstrate remarkable cognitive abilities. With this perspective, Lemanski would like to shed philosophical light on the underlying cognitive processes of visual representations.

Perception as the key to knowledge

Perception plays a central role in Lemanski's work. A supplementary article deals with the concept of perception types in Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP), which includes auditory, visual and kinesthetic perceptions as well as the five human senses. These types of perception are often mixed and influence our interaction with the world. The visual sense is the fastest and processes the most information, while the auditory perception works sequentially. Kinesthetic perception, on the other hand, requires practical application and is understood as the slowest sensory channel.

Special exercises can be carried out to train the different types of perception. For example, focusing on objects can improve visual perception. People with weak visual senses often encounter difficulties in the education system, while well-developed auditory senses often lead to better performance. Kinesthetic perception is less valued, often falls back to a lower level of performance and is rarely adequately supported in the school system.

Courses and exercises to strengthen perception offer opportunities to sharpen both internal and external perception. Terms such as uptime, which describes the focus on the outside world, and downtime, which marks the concentration on the inner world, are essential for increasing memory and logical thinking skills.

In summary, Jens Lemanski explores a new dimension of thinking and communication with his interdisciplinary approach between philosophy and perception science. His work brings together ancient philosophies with modern theories and could influence future research in these areas.

For more information about Lemanski's research and teaching at the FernUniversität Hagen, please visit FernUniversität Hagen and to learn more about the perception types, check out Education Bible over.