Scientific models

What are models in science ? How do scientific models related to scientific theories, phenomena, and data?

General literature

  • Bailer-Jones, 2009: Scientific models in philosophy of science
    • Historical and philosophical survey of scientific models, both mechanistic and mathematical, with a helpful bibliography
    • Concise but not always clear
    • Ch 1: Quotes from scientists about models, based on interviews by the author

Models in the semantic view

Pioneering work by Patrick Suppes at Stanford’s CSLI:

  • Suppes, 1961: A comparison of the meaning and uses models in mathematics and the empirical sciences (doi, pdf)
  • Suppes, 1962: Models of data (pdf)
  • Suppes, 1967: What is a scientific theory? (pdf)
  • Suppes, 2002: Representation and invariance of scientific structures (pdf)

Frederick Suppe (not to confused with Suppes!) was also influential:

  • Suppe, ed., 1977: The structure of scientific theories, 2nd ed.
  • Suppe, 1989: The semantic conception of theories and scientific realism
  • Suppe, 2000: Understanding scientific theories: An assessment of developments (doi)