Models, Simulations, and the Reduction of Complexity
Description
Modern science is, to a large extent, a model-building activity. But how are models contructed? How are they related to theories and data? How do they explain complex scientific phenomena, and which role do computer simulations play here? These questions have kept philosophers of science busy for many years, and much work has been done to identify modeling as the central activity of theoretical science. At the same time, these questions have been addressed by methodologically-minded scientists, albeit from a different point of view. While philosophers typically have an eye on general aspects of scientific modeling, scientists typically take their own science as the starting point and are often more concerned with specific methodological problems. There is, however, also much common ground in middle, where philosophers and scientists can engage in a productive dialogue, as the present volume demonstrates. To do so, the editors of this volume have invited eight leading scientists from cosmology, climate science, social science, chemical engeneering and neuroscience to reflect upon their modeling work, and eight philosophers of science to provide a commentary.
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2 - Contributors [Seite 6]
3 - Content [Seite 7]
4 - Introduction [Seite 9]
5 - Cosmology - The Largest Possible Model? [Seite 17]
6 - The Standard Model of Cosmology as a Tool for Interpretation and Discovery [Seite 31]
7 - Patterns in Physical and Biological Systems [Seite 37]
8 - Symmetry and the Explanation of Organismal Form [Seite 51]
9 - Pluralistic Modeling of Complex Systems [Seite 61]
10 - The Methodological Challenges of Complex Systems [Seite 89]
11 - Contested Modeling: The Case of Economics [Seite 95]
12 - A Unifying Approach to High- and Low-Level Cognition [Seite 125]
13 - High-vs Low-Level Cognition and the Neuro- Emulative Theory of Mental Representation [Seite 149]
14 - Evaluating a Computational Model of Eye-Movement Control in Reading [Seite 161]
15 - Considering Criteria for Model Modification and Theory Change in Psychology [Seite 187]
16 - Identification of Kinetic Models by Incremental Refinement [Seite 195]
17 - Kinetics, Models, and Mechanism [Seite 229]
18 - Modeling Complexity: The Case of Climate Science [Seite 237]
19 - Chaos, Plurality, and Model Metrics in Climate Science [Seite 263]
20 - Subject Index [Seite 273]
21 - Author Index [Seite 277]
