New Books in Science Michael Weisberg, “Simulation and Similarity: Using Models to Understand the World” (Oxford UP, 2013)
Jan 15, 2014
In this captivating discussion, Michael Weisberg, an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania, delves into the philosophy of science, focusing on models and simulations. He shares his journey from chemistry to exploring how different types of models—concrete, computational, and mathematical—help us understand the world. Weisberg discusses the role of idealization and abstraction in modeling, how models can offer explanations rather than mere descriptions, and introduces the concept of weighted feature mapping for exploring similarity. He emphasizes the necessity of intersubjective standards in drawing parallels across models.
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San Francisco Bay Hydraulic Model Revealed Disaster
- The U.S. Army Corps built a 1.5-acre hydraulic model of San Francisco Bay to test dam plans and simulated tides and rivers at scale.
- The model revealed the dam plan would have turned the bay into a polluted wasteland and changed policy decisions.
Three Core Model Types
- Weisberg divides models into concrete, computational, and mathematical types to capture scientific practice.
- Concrete models are physical artifacts, computational models rely on procedures, and mathematical models use abstract state spaces.
Models As Interpreted Structures
- Models are interpreted structures: a core structure plus an interpretation assigning parts to target features.
- Interpretations include assignments, intended scope, and fidelity criteria guiding evaluation.
