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Universality and Modeling Limiting Behaviors

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2022

Collin Rice
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Abstract

Most attempts to justify the use of idealized models to explain appeal to the accuracy of the model with respect to difference-making causes. In this article, I argue for an alternative way to justify using idealized models to explain that appeals to universality classes. In support of this view, I show that scientific modelers seeking to explain stable limiting behaviors often explicitly appeal to universality classes in order to justify their use of idealized models to explain.

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Type
Models and Modeling
Information
Philosophy of Science , Volume 87 , Issue 5: PSA 2018 - Proceedings of the 2018 biennial meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association. Part II Symposia Papers , December 2020 , pp. 829 - 840
Copyright
Copyright © The Philosophy of Science Association

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Footnotes

†

Thanks to Julia Bursten, Robert Batterman, Chris Pincock, Jenn Jhun, and the audience of our symposium at PSA 2018 for helpful discussions and feedback. I am also grateful to two anonymous reviewers whose comments helped improve the final version.

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