Simulation and Similarity : Using Models to Understand the World

Michael Weisberg

ISBN 10: 0190265124 / ISBN 13: 9780190265120

Editore: Oxford University Press Okt 2015, 2015

Riguardo questo articolo

Neuware - In the 1950s, John Reber convinced many Californians that the best way to solve the state's water shortage problem was to dam up the San Francisco Bay. Against massive political pressure, Reber's opponents persuaded lawmakers that doing so would lead to disaster. They did this not by empirical measurement alone, but also through the construction of a model. Simulation and Similarity explains why this was a good strategy while simultaneously providing an account of modeling and idealization in modern scientific practice. Michael Weisberg focuses on concrete, mathematical, and computational models in his consideration of the nature of models, the practice of modeling, and nature of the relationship between models and real-world phenomena.

Codice articolo 9780190265120

Dati bibliografici

• Titolo: Simulation and Similarity : Using Models to Understand the World
• Editore: Oxford University Press Okt 2015
• Data di pubblicazione: 2015
• Lingua: Inglese
• ISBN 10: 0190265124
• ISBN 13: 9780190265120
• Rilegatura: Taschenbuch
• Condizione: Neu
• Dimensioni: 234 L x 156 A x 13 P (millimetri) 234 millimetri di larghezza per 156 millimetri di altezza per 13 millimetri di profondità
• Peso: 369 grammi

Descrizione articolo

Riassunto

In the 1950s, John Reber convinced many Californians that the best way to solve the state's water shortage problem was to dam up the San Francisco Bay. Against massive political pressure, Reber's opponents persuaded lawmakers that doing so would lead to disaster. They did this not by empirical measurement alone, but also through the construction of a model. Simulation and Similarity explains why this was a good strategy while simultaneously providing an account of modeling and idealization in modern scientific practice. Michael Weisberg focuses on concrete, mathematical, and computational models in his consideration of the nature of models, the practice of modeling, and nature of the relationship between models and real-world phenomena.

In addition to a careful analysis of physical, computational, and mathematical models, Simulation and Similarity offers a novel account of the model/world relationship. Breaking with the dominant tradition, which favors the analysis of this relation through logical notions such as isomorphism, Weisberg instead presents a similarity-based account called weighted feature matching. This account is developed with an eye to understanding how modeling is actually practiced. Consequently, it takes into account the ways in which scientists' theoretical goals shape both the applications and the analyses of their models.

Informazioni sull?autore

Michael Weisberg is Department Chair and Professor of Philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania.