Scientific misrepresentation and guides to ontology: the need for representational code and contents

What Did It Mean for Lucas to Set Up ‘Useful’ Analogue Systems?

“…Box 3. '1976 This is a representational code in the sense Shech (2015; applies the term. Even if a model contains wholly fictitious or idealizing assumptions (Psillos, 1999, p. 29;Chakravartty, 2007, pp.…”

Infinite idealizations in science: an introduction

“…10) for a debate regarding whether the partial structures approach can do justice to infinite idealizations. Similarly, see Shech (2015) for an assessment of the inferential account of Suárez (2004) and the interpretational account Contessa (2007) in the context of infinite idealizations. Some have also looked at the ostensible exploratory role that infinite idealizations play with respect to exploring the representational and modal structure of theories (Shech and Gelfert, forthcoming;Massimi 2018).…”

Infinite idealizations in physics

“…The idea is that, perhaps, as dispensabilists urge, idealizations are not essential for the explanation of phenomena like PT, SSB, and the Aharonov–Bohm effect, but it does not follow that idealizations play no substantive and indispensible role in science, i.e., this does not mean that idealizations are just there to “make the math easier.” Instead, it is suggested that infinite idealizations may play an indispensible role in the exploration of scientific theories, intertheoretic relations, and phenomena, and that possibly such exploration is needed for deep sense of scientific understanding. Such lines of thought have been investigated by, among others, Butterfield (), Earman (), Gelfert (), Ruetsche (), Shech and Gelfert (), Shech (2015a, 2015b, , , 2018b), and Yi () and can be traced back to work by Redhead () and Wimsatt (). Since this is a current and developing area of research, my goal in this section is just to outline some interesting senses of exploration and identify avenues of future study.…”