Friday, 22 February 2008
Making Models Count
Anna Alexandrova, U. of Missouri-St. Louis, Philosophy
12:05 pm, 817R Cathedral of Learning

Abstract: What sort of claims do scientific models make and how do these claims then underwrite empirical successes such as explanations and reliable policy interventions? In this paper I propose answers to these questions for the class of models used throughout the social and biological sciences, namely idealized deductive ones with a causal interpretation. I argue that the two main existing accounts misrepresent how these models are actually used, and propose a new account.