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Models at Work—Models in Decision Making

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 November 2014

Ekaterina Svetlova  and
Vanessa Dirksen
Ekaterina Svetlova
Affiliation:
University of Constance E-mail: Ekaterina.Svetlova@uni-konstanz.de
Vanessa Dirksen
Affiliation:
University of Constance E-mail: Vanessa.Dirksen@uni-konstanz.de
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Extract

In recent years, research on modeling in both the philosophy of science and the social studies of science and technology has undergone an acute transformation. Philosophers and social scientists have begun to realize that science, in the words of Carrier and Nordmann, has increasingly shifted its focus from “epistemic or truth-oriented” research to “application-dominated” research. “Science is viewed today as an essentially practical endeavor” (Carrier and Nordmann 2011, 1) and should be considered in the context of its application. In accordance with this re-orienting of science, research on modeling has also changed. Still considering models as genuinely scientific tools, philosophers and social scientists promoted the “practice turn” that suggests a sharper focus on pragmatic issues and the performative and productive role of modeling. Application of models for the resolution of practice-related problems is viewed as an extension of science.

Information

Type
Topical Section: Models at Work – Models in Decision Making
Information
Science in Context , Volume 27 , Issue 4 , December 2014 , pp. 561 - 577
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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