De Donato-Rodríguez, Xavier and Arroyo-Santos, Alfonso (2012) The structure of idealization in biological theories: the case of the Wright-Fisher model. Journal General Philosophy of Science.
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Abstract
In this paper we present a new framework of idealization in biology. We characterize idealizations as a network of counterfactual and hypothetical conditionals that can exhibit different “degrees of contingency”. We use this idea to say that, in departing more or less from the actual world, idealizations can serve numerous epistemic, methodological or heuristic purposes within scientific research. We defend that, in part, this structure explains why idealizations, despite being deformations of reality, are so successful in scientific practice. For illustrative purposes, we provide an example from population genetics, the Wright-Fisher Model
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| Item Type: | Published Article or Volume | |||||||||
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| Keywords: | idealization, theory, biology, possible worlds, | |||||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Biology > Evolutionary Theory General Issues > Models and Idealization General Issues > Structure of Theories |
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| Depositing User: | Alfonso Arroyo-Santos | |||||||||
| Date Deposited: | 11 Mar 2012 13:38 | |||||||||
| Last Modified: | 11 Mar 2012 13:38 | |||||||||
| Item ID: | 9048 | |||||||||
| Journal or Publication Title: | Journal General Philosophy of Science | |||||||||
| Publisher: | Springer | |||||||||
| Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Biology > Evolutionary Theory General Issues > Models and Idealization General Issues > Structure of Theories |
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| Date: | 2012 | |||||||||
| URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/9048 |
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Idealization and the Strcuture of Theories in Biololgy. (deposited 05 Nov 2008)
- The structure of idealization in biological theories: the case of the Wright-Fisher model. (deposited 11 Mar 2012 13:38) [Currently Displayed]
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