Chua, Eugene Y. S. and Luo, Yichen (2026) De-Idealizing De-Idealization: Beyond Full Reversal. [Preprint]
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Abstract
There is a question of whether de-idealization is needed for justified use of -- for 'checking' -- idealizations. We argue that the standard philosophical account of de-idealization has become too idealized, but that this does not preclude the possibility of justificatory practices which show how models can be used to make inferences about the world. In turn, motivated by examples in physics, we provide a more expansive and practice-driven account of de-idealization by relaxing the standards for closeness to more realistic theoretical items, identifying at least three kinds of procedures for de-idealization: intra-model, inter-model, and measurement de-idealizations. These examples highlight how idealizations can be -- and indeed have been -- scrutinized within physics without appealing to the philosopher's idealized notion of de-idealization.
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| Item Type: | Preprint | |||||||||
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| Additional Information: | Accepted at the British Journal for Philosophy of Science. Preprint version of 3 March 2026. Please cite published version when available. | |||||||||
| Keywords: | de-idealization, idealization, scientific models, approximation, conceptual continuity, measurement, philosophy of physics | |||||||||
| Subjects: | General Issues > Models and Idealization Specific Sciences > Physics |
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| Depositing User: | Dr. Eugene Y. S. Chua | |||||||||
| Date Deposited: | 03 Mar 2026 13:40 | |||||||||
| Last Modified: | 03 Mar 2026 13:40 | |||||||||
| Item ID: | 28426 | |||||||||
| Subjects: | General Issues > Models and Idealization Specific Sciences > Physics |
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| Date: | 2026 | |||||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/28426 |
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- De-Idealizing De-Idealization: Beyond Full Reversal. (deposited 03 Mar 2026 13:40) [Currently Displayed]
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