Scientific modelling and make-believe
Frigg, R.
(2021).
Scientific modelling and make-believe.
In
Sedivy, S.
(Ed.),
Art, Representation, and Make-Believe: Essays on the Philosophy of Kendall L. Walton
(pp. 367 - 383).
Routledge.
https://doi.org/10.4324/9780367808662-25
(2021).
Scientific modelling and make-believe.
In
Sedivy, S.
(Ed.),
Art, Representation, and Make-Believe: Essays on the Philosophy of Kendall L. Walton
(pp. 367 - 383).
Routledge.
https://doi.org/10.4324/9780367808662-25
Many scientific models are not objects that one can hold in one’s hands, and yet they seem to be objects of some sort. But of what sort? This chapter offers an answer to this question in terms of Walton’s pretence theory and argues the models should be understood in terms of games of make-believe. This also provides answers to other important issues in modelling, namely what is truth in such models and how do we learn about models?