Abstract
Modelling and simulation techniques have various functions in scientific research. They may be used as measuring devices, tools, representations or experiments, or they may be regarded as ‘artificial nature’ that allows further investigation of a particular phenomenon. However, these functions vary according to the dominant field of research. Applied science, engineering and technology-driven applications develop and utilise modelling and simulation techniques in a unique way. For policy-driven research questions, the main interest extends beyond chains of plausible scientific inference. We will highlight this by characterising the unique aspect of modelling and simulation techniques, an epistemic diversity that is derived from the ‘inner world of models’, but which has implications for the applicability of the techniques.
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Gramelsberger, G., Mansnerus, E. (2012). The Inner World of Models and Its Epistemic Diversity: Infectious Disease and Climate Modelling. In: Bissell, C., Dillon, C. (eds) Ways of Thinking, Ways of Seeing. Automation, Collaboration, & E-Services, vol 1. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-25209-9_8
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