The Model-Theoretic Approach in the Philosophy of Science

@article{French1990TheMA,
  title={The Model-Theoretic Approach in the Philosophy of Science},
  author={Steven French},
  journal={Philosophy of Science},
  year={1990},
  volume={57},
  pages={248 - 265}
}
  • S. French
  • Published 1 June 1990
  • Philosophy
  • Philosophy of Science
An introduction to the model-theoretic approach in the philosophy of science is given and it is argued that this program is further enhanced by the introduction of partial structures. It is then shown that this leads to a natural and intuitive account of both "iconic" and mathematical models and of the role of the former in science itself. 

A model-theoretic realist interpretation of science

This chapter discusses the notion of 'model' in philosophy of science, and variations on the non-statement view of science from a model-theoretic realism perspective.

A model theoretic approach to ‘natural’ reasoning

Abstract A general framework is proposed for accommodating the recent results of studies into ‘natural’ decision making. A crucial element of this framework is the notion of a ‘partial structure’,

Multideductive Logic And The Theoretic-Formal Unification Of Physical Theories

A kind of logic named multideductive logic is presented and an application of it in the problem of theoretic-formal unification of physical theories dealing with the Bohr atom theory is outlined.

Scientific realism, the new mechanical philosophers, and the friends of modelling

Here NMPs have been joined in by Friends of Models of (FoMs, in brief) who maintain that the focus should be moved to models and model building instead of theories in the sense of RVs.

Remodelling Structural Realism: Quantum Physics and the Metaphysics of Structure

Ladyman's 'metaphysical' or 'ontic' form of structural realism is outlined and it is argued that by reconceptualising objects in structural terms it offers the best hope for the realist in the context of modern physics.

Partiality, Pursuit and Practice

My intention in this paper is to draw connections between three areas of recent interest in the philosophy of science, broadly characterised: the introduction of partial structures into the

On a Straw Man in the Philosophy of Science: A Defense of the Received View

  • Sebastian Lutz
  • Philosophy
    HOPOS: The Journal of the International Society for the History of Philosophy of Science
  • 2012
The Received View on scientific theories as developed by Carnap, Hempel, and Feigl is now generally considered to have failed for a variety of reasons, bringing down a number of dependent

The Semantic View, Empirical Adequacy, and Application

  • M. Suárez
  • Philosophy
    Crítica (México D. F. En línea)
  • 2005
It is widely accepted in contemporary philosophy of science that the domain of application of a theory is typically larger than its explanatory covering power: theories can be applied to phenomena

Scientific Models and the Semantic View of Scientific Theories

The liquid drop model of nuclear structure is analyzed in conjunction with the particular auxiliary hypothesis that is the guiding force behind its construction and it is argued that it does not meet the necessary features to render it a model of the theory, as the Semantic View demands.

Scientific Representation and the Semantic View of Theories

The conundrums that a theory of scientific representation has to come to terms with are introduced and the question of whether the semantic view of theories provides adequate answers to these questions is addressed.
...

References

SHOWING 1-10 OF 51 REFERENCES

Concepts of Science: A Philosophical Analysis

While the scientist works essentially with what he observes, with the measurable properties of nature, the philosopher of science is concerned to formulate the conceptual foundations of the

On the Extension of Beth's Semantics of Physical Theories

A basic aim of E. Beth's work in philosophy of science was to explore the use of formal semantic methods in the analysis of physical theories. We hope to show that a general framework for Beth's

Pragmatic Truth and the Logic of Induction

We apply the recently elaborated notions of ‘pragmatic truth’ and ‘pragmatic probability’ to the problem of the construction of a logic of inductive inference. It is argued that the system outlined

What Theories are Not

And Not Anti-Realism Either

As my title suggests, this paper is another episode in a continuing story. In the last episode the body of realism was examined, the causes of its death identified, and then the project of

Scientific Explanation and the Causal Structure of the World

The philosophical theory of scientific explanation proposed here involves a radically new treatment of causality that accords with the pervasively statistical character of contemporary science.

Pragmatic truth and approximation to truth

It is shown that the pragmatic conception of truth, at least in one of its possible interpretations, has also a mathematical formulation, similar in spirit to that given by Tarski to the classical correspondence conception.

Set theoretic representations of empirical phenomena

Four possible formal representations of SCOPE (0) are considered, and thus four possible 'pictures' of LAWS (0)-SCOPE ( 0) semantic relations are considered.

Theory of sets

The theory of sets is a theory which contains the relational signs =, ∈ and the substantific sign ⊃ (all these signs being of weight 2); in addition to the schemes S1 to S7 given in Chapter I, it

The Scientific Image

In this book van Fraassen develops an alternative to scientific realism by constructing and evaluating three mutually reinforcing theories.
...