Bokulich, Alisa (2009) Explanatory Fictions. Fictions in Science: Philosophical Essays on Modeling and Idealization. pp. 91-109.
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Abstract
In what follows, I defend the view that, in some cases, fictions can genuinely explain. I begin, in section 2, by situating my approach to fictions in the context of Vaihinger’s classic account, then, in section 3, turn to the concrete case of fictional classical orbits explaining quantum spectra in modern semiclassical mechanics. In section 4, I introduce a new philosophical account of scientific explanation that I argue is capable of making sense of the explanatory power of fictions. Finally, I conclude in section 5 by relating this case study and the new philosophical account of scientific explanation back to Vaihinger’s account of fictions.
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| Item Type: | Published Article or Volume | ||||||
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| Additional Information: | Bokulich, Alisa (2009) “Explanatory Fictions” in Fictions in Science: Philosophical Essays on Modeling and Idealization, M. Suárez (ed.), Routledge, pp. 91-109. | ||||||
| Keywords: | Models, Explanation, Fictions in Science, Idealizations, Vaihinger, Semiclassical Mechanics, Quantum Mechanics, Classical Mechanics | ||||||
| Subjects: | General Issues > Explanation General Issues > Models and Idealization Specific Sciences > Physics Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics |
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| Depositing User: | Alisa Bokulich | ||||||
| Date Deposited: | 02 Jan 2021 00:12 | ||||||
| Last Modified: | 02 Jan 2021 00:12 | ||||||
| Item ID: | 18553 | ||||||
| Journal or Publication Title: | Fictions in Science: Philosophical Essays on Modeling and Idealization | ||||||
| Publisher: | Routledge | ||||||
| Official URL: | https://www.routledge.com/Fictions-in-Science-Phil... | ||||||
| Subjects: | General Issues > Explanation General Issues > Models and Idealization Specific Sciences > Physics Specific Sciences > Physics > Quantum Mechanics |
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| Date: | 2009 | ||||||
| Page Range: | pp. 91-109 | ||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/18553 |
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