Models And Idealizations In Science

Models And Idealizations In Science Book in PDF, ePub and Kindle version is available to download in english. Read online anytime anywhere directly from your device. Click on the download button below to get a free pdf file of Models And Idealizations In Science book. This book definitely worth reading, it is an incredibly well-written.

Models and Idealizations in Science

Author : Alejandro Cassini,Juan Redmond
Publisher : Springer Nature
Page : 270 pages
File Size : 49,7 Mb
Release : 2021-05-27
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9783030658021

Get Book

Models and Idealizations in Science by Alejandro Cassini,Juan Redmond Pdf

This book provides both an introduction to the philosophy of scientific modeling and a contribution to the discussion and clarification of two recent philosophical conceptions of models: artifactualism and fictionalism. These can be viewed as different stances concerning the standard representationalist account of scientific models. By better understanding these two alternative views, readers will gain a deeper insight into what a model is as well as how models function in different sciences. Fictionalism has been a traditional epistemological stance related to antirealist construals of laws and theories, such as instrumentalism and inferentialism. By contrast, the more recent fictional view of models holds that scientific models must be conceived of as the same kind of entities as literary characters and places. This approach is essentially an answer to the ontological question concerning the nature of models, which in principle is not incompatible with a representationalist account of the function of models. The artifactual view of models is an approach according to which scientific models are epistemic artifacts, whose main function is not to represent the phenomena but rather to provide epistemic access to them. It can be conceived of as a non-representationalist and pragmatic account of modeling, which does not intend to focus on the ontology of models but rather on the ways they are built and used for different purposes. The different essays address questions such as the artifactual view of idealization, the use of information theory to elucidate the concepts of abstraction and idealization, the deidealization of models, the nature of scientific fictions, the structural account of representation and the ontological status of structures, the role of surrogative reasoning with models, and the use of models for explaining and predicting physical phenomena.

Models and Idealizations in Science

Author : Alejandro Cassini,Juan Redmond
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 48,5 Mb
Release : 2021
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 3030658031

Get Book

Models and Idealizations in Science by Alejandro Cassini,Juan Redmond Pdf

This book provides both an introduction to the philosophy of scientific modeling and a contribution to the discussion and clarification of two recent philosophical conceptions of models: artifactualism and fictionalism. These can be viewed as different stances concerning the standard representationalist account of scientific models. By better understanding these two alternative views, readers will gain a deeper insight into what a model is as well as how models function in different sciences. Fictionalism has been a traditional epistemological stance related to antirealist construals of laws and theories, such as instrumentalism and inferentialism. By contrast, the more recent fictional view of models holds that scientific models must be conceived of as the same kind of entities as literary characters and places. This approach is essentially an answer to the ontological question concerning the nature of models, which in principle is not incompatible with a representationalist account of the function of models. The artifactual view of models is an approach according to which scientific models are epistemic artifacts, whose main function is not to represent the phenomena but rather to provide epistemic access to them. It can be conceived of as a non-representationalist and pragmatic account of modeling, which does not intend to focus on the ontology of models but rather on the ways they are built and used for different purposes. The different essays address questions such as the artifactual view of idealization, the use of information theory to elucidate the concepts of abstraction and idealization, the deidealization of models, the nature of scientific fictions, the structural account of representation and the ontological status of structures, the role of surrogative reasoning with models, and the use of models for explaining and predicting physical phenomena.

Fictions in Science

Author : Mauricio Suárez
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 282 pages
File Size : 43,6 Mb
Release : 2008-10-26
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781135854713

Get Book

Fictions in Science by Mauricio Suárez Pdf

Science is popularly understood as being an ideal of impartial algorithmic objectivity that provides us with a realistic description of the world down to the last detail. The essays collected in this book—written by some of the leading experts in the field—challenge this popular image right at its heart, taking as their starting point that science trades not only in truth, but in fiction, too. With case studies that range from physics to economics and to biology, Fictions in Science reveals that fictions are as ubiquitous in scientific narratives and practice as they are in any other human endeavor, including literature and art. Of course scientific activity, most prominently in the formal sciences, employs logically precise algorithmic thinking. However, the key to the predictive and technological success of the empirical sciences might well lie elsewhere—perhaps even in scientists’ extraordinary creative imagination instead. As these essays demonstrate, within the bounds of what is empirically possible, a scientist’s capacity for invention and creative thinking matches that of any writer or artist.

Idealization and the Aims of Science

Author : Angela Potochnik
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 263 pages
File Size : 51,6 Mb
Release : 2020-09-23
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780226759449

Get Book

Idealization and the Aims of Science by Angela Potochnik Pdf

Science is the study of our world, as it is in its messy reality. Nonetheless, science requires idealization to function—if we are to attempt to understand the world, we have to find ways to reduce its complexity. Idealization and the Aims of Science shows just how crucial idealization is to science and why it matters. Beginning with the acknowledgment of our status as limited human agents trying to make sense of an exceedingly complex world, Angela Potochnik moves on to explain how science aims to depict and make use of causal patterns—a project that makes essential use of idealization. She offers case studies from a number of branches of science to demonstrate the ubiquity of idealization, shows how causal patterns are used to develop scientific explanations, and describes how the necessarily imperfect connection between science and truth leads to researchers’ values influencing their findings. The resulting book is a tour de force, a synthesis of the study of idealization that also offers countless new insights and avenues for future exploration.

Idealization XIV: Models in Science

Author : Giacomo Borbone,Krzysztof Brzechczyn
Publisher : BRILL
Page : 328 pages
File Size : 53,8 Mb
Release : 2016-05-23
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9789004318847

Get Book

Idealization XIV: Models in Science by Giacomo Borbone,Krzysztof Brzechczyn Pdf

Idealization XIV: Models in Science offers a detailed epistemological and historical account of the role of models in different disciplines of the science: comparative historical sociology, economics, history, linguistics and political philosophy.

Idealization XII: Correcting the Model

Author : Anonim
Publisher : BRILL
Page : 304 pages
File Size : 47,5 Mb
Release : 2016-08-01
Category : Science
ISBN : 9789401202732

Get Book

Idealization XII: Correcting the Model by Anonim Pdf

The principal task of the book series Poznan Studies in the Philosophy of the Sciences and the Humanities is to promote those developments in philosophy that respect the tradition of great philosophical ideas, on the one hand, and the manner of philosophical thinking introduced by analytical philosophy, on the other. The aim is to contribute to practicing philosophy as deep as Marxism and as caring about justification as positivism.

Leveraging Distortions

Author : Collin Rice
Publisher : MIT Press
Page : 367 pages
File Size : 45,9 Mb
Release : 2021-08-17
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780262542616

Get Book

Leveraging Distortions by Collin Rice Pdf

An examination of how scientists deliberately and justifiably use pervasive distortions of relevant features to explain and understand natural phenomena. A fundamental rule of logic is that in order for an argument to provide good reasons for its conclusion, the premises of the argument must be true. In this book, Collin Rice shows how the practice of science repeatedly, pervasively, and deliberately violates this principle. Rice argues that scientists strategically use distortions that misrepresent relevant features of natural phenomena in order to explain and understand--and that they use these distortions deliberately and justifiably in order to discover truths that would be otherwise inaccessible. Countering the standard emphasis on causation, accurate representation, and decomposition of science into its accurate and inaccurate parts, Rice shows that science's epistemic achievements can still be factive despite their being produced through the use of holistically distorted scientific representations. Indeed, he argues, this distortion is one of the most widely employed and fruitful tools used in scientific theorizing. Marshalling a range of case studies, Rice contends that many explanations in science are noncausal, and he presents an alternate view of explanation that captures the variety of noncausal explanations found across the sciences. He proposes an alternative holistic distortion view of idealized models, connecting it to physicists' concept of a universality class; shows how universality classes can overcome some of the challenges of multiscale modeling; and offers accounts of explanation, idealization, modeling, and understanding.

Models and Modeling in the Sciences

Author : Stephen M. Downes
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 115 pages
File Size : 44,8 Mb
Release : 2020-07-09
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781317298069

Get Book

Models and Modeling in the Sciences by Stephen M. Downes Pdf

Biologists, climate scientists, and economists all rely on models to move their work forward. In this book, Stephen M. Downes explores the use of models in these and other fields to introduce readers to the various philosophical issues that arise in scientific modeling. Readers learn that paying attention to models plays a crucial role in appraising scientific work. This book first presents a wide range of models from a number of different scientific disciplines. After assembling some illustrative examples, Downes demonstrates how models shed light on many perennial issues in philosophy of science and in philosophy in general. Reviewing the range of views on how models represent their targets introduces readers to the key issues in debates on representation, not only in science but in the arts as well. Also, standard epistemological questions are cast in new and interesting ways when readers confront the question, "What makes for a good (or bad) model?" All examples from the sciences and positions in the philosophy of science are presented in an accessible manner. The book is suitable for undergraduates with minimal experience in philosophy and an introductory undergraduate experience in science. Key features: The book serves as a highly accessible philosophical introduction to models and modeling in the sciences, presenting all philosophical and scientific issues in a nontechnical manner. Students and other readers learn to practice philosophy of science by starting with clear examples taken directly from the sciences. While not comprehensive, this book introduces the reader to a wide range of views on key issues in the philosophy of science.

As If

Author : Kwame Anthony Appiah
Publisher : Harvard University Press
Page : 240 pages
File Size : 45,6 Mb
Release : 2017-08-14
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780674982192

Get Book

As If by Kwame Anthony Appiah Pdf

Idealization is a basic feature of human thought. We proceed “as if” our representations were true, while knowing they are not. Kwame Anthony Appiah defends the centrality of the imagination in science, morality, and everyday life and shows that our best chance for accessing reality is to open our minds to a plurality of idealized depictions.

The Oxford Handbook of Philosophical Methodology

Author : Herman Cappelen,Tamar Gendler,John P. Hawthorne
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 769 pages
File Size : 54,7 Mb
Release : 2016
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780199668779

Get Book

The Oxford Handbook of Philosophical Methodology by Herman Cappelen,Tamar Gendler,John P. Hawthorne Pdf

This is a comprehensive book on philosophical methodology. A team of leading philosophers present original essays on various aspects of how philosophy should be and is done. They explore broad traditions and approaches, topics in philosophical methodology, and the interconnections between philosophy and neighbouring fields.

Simulation and Similarity

Author : Michael Weisberg
Publisher : OUP USA
Page : 211 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 2013-02-14
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780199933662

Get Book

Simulation and Similarity by Michael Weisberg Pdf

This book is an account of modeling and idealization in modern scientific practice, focusing on concrete, mathematical, and computational models. The main topics of this book are the nature of models, the practice of modeling, and the nature of the relationship between models and real-world phenomena. In order to elucidate the model/world relationship, Weisberg develops a novel account of similarity called weighted feature matching.

Logic, Epistemology, and the Unity of Science

Author : Shahid Rahman,John Symons,Dov M. Gabbay,jean paul van bendegem
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 618 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 2009-03-15
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781402028083

Get Book

Logic, Epistemology, and the Unity of Science by Shahid Rahman,John Symons,Dov M. Gabbay,jean paul van bendegem Pdf

The first volume in this new series explores, through extensive co-operation, new ways of achieving the integration of science in all its diversity. The book offers essays from important and influential philosophers in contemporary philosophy, discussing a range of topics from philosophy of science to epistemology, philosophy of logic and game theoretical approaches. It will be of interest to philosophers, computer scientists and all others interested in the scientific rationality.

Springer Handbook of Model-Based Science

Author : Lorenzo Magnani,Tommaso Bertolotti
Publisher : Springer
Page : 1180 pages
File Size : 55,5 Mb
Release : 2017-05-22
Category : Technology & Engineering
ISBN : 9783319305264

Get Book

Springer Handbook of Model-Based Science by Lorenzo Magnani,Tommaso Bertolotti Pdf

This handbook offers the first comprehensive reference guide to the interdisciplinary field of model-based reasoning. It highlights the role of models as mediators between theory and experimentation, and as educational devices, as well as their relevance in testing hypotheses and explanatory functions. The Springer Handbook merges philosophical, cognitive and epistemological perspectives on models with the more practical needs related to the application of this tool across various disciplines and practices. The result is a unique, reliable source of information that guides readers toward an understanding of different aspects of model-based science, such as the theoretical and cognitive nature of models, as well as their practical and logical aspects. The inferential role of models in hypothetical reasoning, abduction and creativity once they are constructed, adopted, and manipulated for different scientific and technological purposes is also discussed. Written by a group of internationally renowned experts in philosophy, the history of science, general epistemology, mathematics, cognitive and computer science, physics and life sciences, as well as engineering, architecture, and economics, this Handbook uses numerous diagrams, schemes and other visual representations to promote a better understanding of the concepts. This also makes it highly accessible to an audience of scholars and students with different scientific backgrounds. All in all, the Springer Handbook of Model-Based Science represents the definitive application-oriented reference guide to the interdisciplinary field of model-based reasoning.

True Enough

Author : Catherine Z. Elgin
Publisher : MIT Press
Page : 352 pages
File Size : 51,7 Mb
Release : 2017-10-20
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780262341387

Get Book

True Enough by Catherine Z. Elgin Pdf

The development of an epistemology that explains how science and art embody and convey understanding. Philosophy valorizes truth, holding that there can never be epistemically good reasons to accept a known falsehood, or to accept modes of justification that are not truth conducive. How can this stance account for the epistemic standing of science, which unabashedly relies on models, idealizations, and thought experiments that are known not to be true? In True Enough, Catherine Elgin argues that we should not assume that the inaccuracy of models and idealizations constitutes an inadequacy. To the contrary, their divergence from truth or representational accuracy fosters their epistemic functioning. When effective, models and idealizations are, Elgin contends, felicitous falsehoods that exemplify features of the phenomena they bear on. Because works of art deploy the same sorts of felicitous falsehoods, she argues, they also advance understanding. Elgin develops a holistic epistemology that focuses on the understanding of broad ranges of phenomena rather than knowledge of individual facts. Epistemic acceptability, she maintains, is a matter not of truth-conduciveness, but of what would be reflectively endorsed by the members of an idealized epistemic community—a quasi-Kantian realm of epistemic ends.

Nancy Cartwright’s Philosophy of Science

Author : Luc Bovens,Carl Hoefer,Stephan Hartmann
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 419 pages
File Size : 45,5 Mb
Release : 2008-06-03
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781134170562

Get Book

Nancy Cartwright’s Philosophy of Science by Luc Bovens,Carl Hoefer,Stephan Hartmann Pdf

Nancy Cartwright is one of the most distinguished and influential contemporary philosophers of science. Despite the profound impact of her work, there is neither a systematic exposition of Cartwright’s philosophy of science nor a collection of articles that contains in-depth discussions of the major themes of her philosophy. This book is devoted to a critical assessment of Cartwright’s philosophy of science and contains contributions from Cartwright's champions and critics. Broken into three parts, the book begins by addressing Cartwright's views on the practice of model building in science and the question of how models represent the world before moving on to a detailed discussion of methodologically and metaphysically challenging problems. Finally, the book addresses Cartwright's original attempts to clarify profound questions concerning the metaphysics of science. With contributions from leading scholars, such as Ronald N. Giere and Paul Teller, this unique volume will be extremely useful to philosophers of science the world over.