How to infer explanations from computer simulations
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 10798249 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Florian J Boge (0000-0002-1030-3393) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 82 |
| Pages | 25-33 |
| Publication date | 2020-08-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Studies in History and Philosophy of Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0039-3681 • E-ISSN: 1879-2510 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.shpsa.2019.12.003 |
| PMID | 32773062 |
| OpenAlex | W2994907116 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 34 |
Computer simulations are involved in numerous branches of modern science, and science would not be the same without them. Yet the question of how they can explain real-world processes remains an issue of considerable debate. In this context, a range of authors have highlighted the inferences back to the world that computer simulations allow us to draw. I will first characterize the precise relation between computer and target of a simulation that allows us to draw such inferences. I then argue that in a range of scientifically interesting cases they are particular abductions and defend this claim by appeal to two case studies
Appeal · Context (archaeology · Data mining · Data science · Epistemology · Political science · Range (aeronautics · Relation (database · Computer Science · Data Visualization and Analytics · Engineering · History · Law · Philosophy · Philosophy and History of Science · Scientific Computing and Data Management
Twilight Of The Perfect Model Model
Analogical Mapping by Constraint Satisfaction
Experiments versus models
Tipping and the Dynamics of Segregation
Computer simulations and experiments
Maxwell’s contrived analogy
Does matter really matter? Computer simulations, experiments, and materiality
Computer simulations as experiments
Probability, explanation, and information
The explanatory potential of artificial societies
How simulations fail
Models and fiction
Patterns of abduction
A tale of two methods
The Concept of Observation in Science and Philosophy
Two Ways of Analogy
An Inferential Conception of Scientific Representation
Dynamic models of segregation
Confirmation via Analogue Simulation
Explaining Sociospatial Patterns in South East Queensland, Australia
| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 4 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 4 |