The Philosophical Novelty of Computer Simulation Methods

2019 ◽  
pp. 34-47
Author(s):  
Paul Humphreys
Keyword(s):  
Computer Simulation ◽  
Philosophy Of Science ◽  
Computer Simulations ◽  
Computational Methods ◽  
Computational Science ◽  
Simulation Methods ◽  
Scientific Methods ◽  
Analytic Methods ◽  
Epistemic Opacity

Reasons are given to justify the claim that computer simulations and computational science constitute a distinctively new set of scientific methods as compared to traditional analytic methods and that these computational methods introduce new issues in the philosophy of science. These issues are both epistemological and methodological in kind. Definitions of epistemic opacity and essential epistemic opacity are given, the syntactic and semantic accounts of theories are shown to address different problems than those addressed by computational science, the important role of concrete dynamics in simulations is stressed, and differences between in principle approaches and in practice approaches to philosophy of science are explored.

scholarly journals Making it count. An inferentialist account of computer simulation

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaakko Kuorikoski ◽  
Samuli Reijula
Keyword(s):  
Computer Simulation ◽  
Modeling And Simulation ◽  
Philosophy Of Science ◽  
Computer Simulations ◽  
Simulation Modeling ◽  
Scientific Representation ◽  
Philosophical Theory ◽  
Scientific Experimentation ◽  
The World

The dual problems of how an idealized model can represent and provide information about its target have become a central topic of in the philosophy of science. We argue that several current views are misguided in assuming that the epistemology of modeling and simulation must build on a philosophical theory of the representation relation (e.g. isomorphism, similarity). We extend Robert Brandom’s inferentialist account of meaning into scientific representation to argue that representational language is explicatory, not explanatory, in nature. We provide a broader philosophical rationale for inferential accounts of scientific representation, and an epistemologically modest account of the role of models in terms of inferential scorekeeping. We apply these views to the contested case of computer simulations to argue that, although the praxis of simulation modeling resembles that of scientific experimentation, simulations alone cannot lead to genuinely novel discoveries about the world, as they are merely tools for keeping our reasoning straight.

Computer Simulations

2019 ◽  
pp. 9-20
Author(s):  
Paul Humphreys
Keyword(s):  
Computer Simulation ◽  
Numerical Methods ◽  
Computer Simulations ◽  
Scientific Progress ◽  
Computational Science ◽  
Working Definition ◽  
Mathematical Techniques ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Special Case ◽  
Numerical Treatments

The need to solve analytically intractable models has led to the rise of a new kind of science, computational science, of which computer simulations are a special case. It is noted that the development of novel mathematical techniques often drives scientific progress and that even relatively simple models require numerical treatments. A working definition of a computer simulation is given and the relation of simulations to numerical methods is explored. Examples where computational methods are unavoidable are provided. Some epistemological consequences for philosophy of science are suggested and the need to take into account what is possible in practice is emphasized.

Application of Computer Simulation Methods for Running Safety Assessment of Railway Vehicles in Example of Freight Cars

2007 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 61-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrzej Chudzikiewicz ◽  
Michał Opala
Keyword(s):  
Computer Simulation ◽  
Computer Simulations ◽  
Safety Assessment ◽  
Load Level ◽  
Simulation Methods ◽  
Railway Vehicles ◽  
Safety Issues ◽  
Rail Vehicle ◽  
Codes Of Practice ◽  
Track Irregularities

We shall discuss the problem of rail vehicle safety studies using simulation methods. The contemporary methods and criteria used for safety assessment of railway vehicles by railways Europe are shown, whereas special attention is paid to the criteria and research programs applied to the vehicle approval procedures in Poland. Taking advantage of these safety criteria and codes of practice, a number of computer simulations have been conducted in order to study the safety issues. Presented results of the computer simulations include a rail vehicle running on a tangent and curved track for different simulation parameters such as: running velocity, load level, condition of wheel profiles, track irregularities. The track irregularities represent different maintenance quality levels which are set according to UIC518 code. In this paper there has also been made a comparison between the results of computer simulation safety assessment studies and the measurements taken in real conditions during the safety tests of a Shimmns(s) type freight vehicle.

scholarly journals Sanctioning Models: The Epistemology of Simulation

1999 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 275-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Winsberg
Keyword(s):  
Computer Simulation ◽  
Mathematical Models ◽  
Philosophy Of Science ◽  
Computer Simulations ◽  
Constitutive Equations ◽  
Scientific Practice ◽  
Scientific Theories ◽  
Physical Systems ◽  
Complex Chain ◽  
The World

The ArgumentIn its reconstruction of scientific practice, philosophy of science has traditionally placed scientific theories in a central role, and has reduced the problem of mediating between theories and the world to formal considerations. Many applications of scientific theories, however, involve complex mathematical models whose constitutive equations are analytically unsolvable. The study of these applications often consists in developing representations of the underlying physics on a computer, and using the techniques of computer simulation in order to learn about the behavior of these systems. In many instances, these computer simulations are not simple number-crunching techniques. They involve a complex chain of inferences that serve to transform theoretical structures into specific concrete knowledge of physical systems. In this paper I argue that this process of transformation has its own epistemology. I also argue that this kind of epistemology is unfamiliar to most philosophy of science, which has traditionally concerned itself with the justification of theories, not with their application. Finally, I urge that the nature of this epistemology suggests that the end results of some simulations do not bear a simple, straightforward relation to the theories from which they stem.

Bioinformatics and Computer Simulation approaches to the discovery and analysis of Bioactive Peptides

2022 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhang Shuli ◽  
Liu Linlin ◽  
Gao Li ◽  
Zhao Yinghu ◽  
Shi Nan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Computer Simulation ◽  
Computer Aided Design ◽  
Bioactive Peptides ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Simulation Methods ◽  
Activity Prediction ◽  
Correlation Models ◽  
Traditional Process ◽  
Aided Design

Abstract: The traditional process of separating and purifying bioactive peptides is laborious and time-consuming. Using a traditional process to identify is difficult, and there is a lack of fast and accurate activity evaluation methods. How to extract bioactive peptides quickly and efficiently is still the focus of bioactive peptides research. In order to improve the present situation of the research, bioinformatics techniques and peptidome methods are widely used in this field. At the same time, bioactive peptides have their own specific pharmacokinetic characteristics, so computer simulation methods have incomparable advantages in studying the pharmacokinetics and pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic correlation models of bioactive peptides. The purpose of this review is to summarize the combined applications of bioinformatics and computer simulation methods in the study of bioactive peptides, with focuses on the role of bioinformatics in simulating the selection of enzymatic hydrolysis and precursor proteins, activity prediction, molecular docking, physicochemical properties, and molecular dynamics. Our review shows that new bioactive peptide molecular sequences with high activity can be obtained by computer-aided design. The significance of the pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic correlation model in the study of bioactive peptides is emphasized. Finally, some problems and future development potential of bioactive peptides binding new technologies are prospected.

Computer Simulation

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johannes Lenhard
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Modeling ◽  
Computer Simulation ◽  
Philosophy Of Science ◽  
Computer Simulations ◽  
Simulation Modeling ◽  
New Type

This article interprets computer simulation modeling as a new type of mathematical modeling that comprises a number of interdependent components, among them experimentation, visualization, and adaptability. Furthermore, it is argued, simulation modeling can be characterized as a particular style of reasoning, namely a combinatorial style, that assembles and balances elements from different other styles. Two examples are discussed that exemplify the transformative force of this style: what counts as “understanding phenomena” and what counts as a “solution.” Both are seminal pieces of traditional mathematical modeling and both are transformed, if not inverted, in simulation modeling. Finally, some challenges are considered that computer simulations pose for philosophy of science.

Templates, Opacity, and Simulations

2019 ◽  
pp. 61-80
Author(s):  
Paul Humphreys
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Computer Simulations ◽  
Numerical Experiments ◽  
Applied Mathematics ◽  
Philosophy Of Mathematics ◽  
Weak Sense ◽  
Computational Science ◽  
Simulation Methods ◽  
Numerical Experimentation ◽  
Definition Of

Retrospective reflections are provided on the papers “Computer Simulations,” “Computational Science and Its Effects,” “The Philosophical Novelty of Computer Simulation Methods,” and “Numerical Experimentation” by Paul Humphreys. Some major themes are that it is the broader category of computational science, including such methods as machine learning, that is of interest, rather than just the narrower field of computer simulations; that numerical experiments and simulations are only analogous in a very weak sense to laboratory experiments; that computational science is a genuine emplacement revolution; and that syntax is of primary importance in computational modeling. Remarks are made on the logical properties of simulations, on the appropriate definition of a simulation, and on the need to take applied mathematics seriously as an autonomous field of study in the philosophy of mathematics. An argument is given for the conclusion that computational transformations preserve the causal origins of data but not their referential content.

Computational Science and Its Effects

2019 ◽  
pp. 21-33
Author(s):  
Paul Humphreys
Keyword(s):  
Philosophy Of Science ◽  
Scientific Revolution ◽  
Computational Science ◽  
Interface Problem ◽  
Central Concept ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
Contemporary Science ◽  
The World ◽  
Epistemic Opacity

A new kind of scientific revolution is described, one called an emplacement revolution. Emplacement revolutions are contrasted with Kuhnian revolutions and Hacking revolutions. The concept of the anthropocentric predicament is introduced and the associated concept of the interface problem. Each provides a challenge in understanding the world from the perspective of computational science. The central concept of epistemic opacity is described and connected to the interface problem. Some reasons why computational science is new are given, arguments are provided for why philosophy of science should not restrict itself to in principle results, and the fact that contemporary science is inextricably entwined with technological advances is explored.

The role of computer simulation methods in avoiding orthodontic malpractice

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 226-230
Author(s):  
Cristina Bica ◽  
Diana Bulgaru Iliescu ◽  
Dorin Bica ◽  
Gheorghe G Balan ◽  
Adriana Balan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Computer Simulation ◽  
Simulation Methods

The Modern Aristotle: Michael Polanyi’s Search for Truth against Nihilism

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald Hoinski ◽  
Ronald Polansky
Keyword(s):  
Philosophy Of Science ◽  
Modern Science ◽  
Michael Polanyi ◽  
Contemporary Philosophy ◽  
The Face ◽  
Human Desire ◽  
The Mind ◽  
Theoretical Science

David Hoinski and Ronald Polansky’s “The Modern Aristotle: Michael Polanyi’s Search for Truth against Nihilism” shows how the general tendencies of contemporary philosophy of science disclose a return to the Aristotelian emphasis on both the formation of dispositions to know and the role of the mind in theoretical science. Focusing on a comparison of Michael Polanyi and Aristotle, Hoinski and Polansky investigate to what degree Aristotelian thought retains its purchase on reality in the face of the changes wrought by modern science. Polanyi’s approach relies on several Aristotelian assumptions, including the naturalness of the human desire to know, the institutional and personal basis for the accumulation of knowledge, and the endorsement of realism against objectivism. Hoinski and Polansky emphasize the promise of Polanyi’s neo-Aristotelian framework, which argues that science is won through reflection on reality.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document