Abstract
Scientists extensively use the concept of a model. In this chapter I discuss what might be meant by the claim that something is a model of something else. The core idea is that a model is similar to what it is a model of in some respects and not in other respects. Similarity is a kind of structural similarity. Most models used in the natural sciences are mathematical models. Such models are structurally similar to a portion of reality in some respects.
Some examples of models are presented and the respects in which they show structural similarity to what is modelled are discussed. The question whether it is in principle possible to construct a complete model of (a part of) reality is discussed and a tentative positive answer is suggested. Finally, I briefly discuss the ontological question of what exists and concludes with Quine that ‘Structure is what matters to science and not the choice of its objects’.
Structure is what matters to a theory, not the choice of objects.
W. V. O. Quine
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I have given my view on quantum mechanics in my (2007).
Further Reading
Brown, J. (1994). Smoke and mirrors (How science reflects reality). London: Routledge.
Dijkman, R., Dumas, M., & Garcia-Banuelos, L. (2009a). Graph matching algorithms for business process model similarity search. In U. Dayal et al. (Eds.), Business process management. Berlin: Springer.
Giere, R. (1999). Science without laws. Chicago: Chicago University Press.
Ladyman, J., & Ross, D. (2007). Every thing must go: Metaphysics naturalized. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Quine, W. V. O. (1981). Theories and things. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Suppes, P. (2002). Representation and invariance of scientific structures. Stanford: CSLI.
Suárez, M. (2003). Scientific representation: Against similarity and isomorphism. International Studies in the Philosophy of Science, 17, 225–244.
Wang, Z., Bovik, A. C., Sheikh, H. R., & Simoncelli, E. P. (2004). Image quality assessment: From error visibility to structural similarity. IEEE Transactions on Image Processing, 13(4), 600–612.
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Johansson, LG. (2016). Theories, Models and Reality. In: Philosophy of Science for Scientists. Springer Undergraduate Texts in Philosophy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-26551-3_11
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-26551-3_11
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