The Philosophy of Scientific Models

More about the course content: The course explores the conceptual prerequisites for scientific modeling when describing some aspect of reality. Students are given the opportunity to delve into contemporary debates about what models are, their structure, their usefulness and value, and their limitations. While the course thus provides philosophy students with an in-depth understanding of scientific thinking, it is also useful for students from the special sciences who are familiar with models, or who actually use them, in their field of science, and who want to understand this practice better.

Topics covered in the course include:

• the structure of scientific models, and their relationships to scientific theories,
• the relationship of scientific models to the part of reality they are intended to describe,
• how analogy, abstraction and idealization work,
• the role of truth in the creation of scientific models,
• the explanatory value of scientific models,
• thinking about and drawing conclusions from models,
• the role of scientific values ​​in scientific model creation,
• how scientific models are tested and improved,
• how scientific models can contribute to decision-making under uncertainty.

These topics are discussed using paradigmatic examples drawn from different scientific fields. These are introduced with an emphasis on their abstract structure, and no previous experience of scientific modeling is assumed.

The course also serves as an introduction to philosophical writing, and includes training in philosophical writing, including how AI should and should not be used.

Learning platform: Reading instructions, detailed course planning, etc. will be posted on the course's Canvas page. Admitted students who have activated their student account and have been registered for the course will automatically become participants on the course's Canvas page.

Teacher and examiner autumn semester 2026: Joe Roussos

Language of instruction autumn semester 2026: English

For more information about the course (teaching method, expected study results, attendance requirements, examination method, grading scale, etc.), see the course syllabus.