What is an exhibition? What does one do when exhibiting? Can it be reasonably claimed that exhibitions have cognitive value? In his book, Thomas Zingelmann develops a nuanced concept of exhibitions based on numerous everyday examples, allowing for the distinction of various forms and functions of exhibitions and providing a sound justification for their cognitive value.

The claims associated with the assertion that exhibitions contribute to knowledge range from educational functions to the thesis that exhibitions are equivalent to the sciences. Exhibitions are expected to generate insights on a wide range of topics using their own means. However, this claim to knowledge is usually not substantiated or contextualized within current epistemological debates.

Moreover, this discussion is often characterized by another peculiarity: what an exhibition is or what one does when exhibiting is treated as a given. A philosophy of exhibiting that seeks to justify the cognitive value of exhibitions must first clarify what an exhibition is.

The work is understood in the sense of a formal everyday aesthetics that examines the form and function of the self-evident, routine, and inconspicuous. The author demonstrates that exhibitions are significant for both self-reference and reference to the world.