Evidence and Knowledge from Computer Simulation.

Can computer simulation results be evidence for hypotheses about real-world systems and phenomena? If so, what sort of evidence? Can we gain genuinely new knowledge of the world via simulation? I argue that evidence from computer simulation is aptly characterized as higher-order evidence: it is evid...

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Published in:Erkenntnis Vol. 87; no. 4; pp. 1521 - 1539
Main Author: Parker, Wendy S.
Format: Article
Published: Springer Nature Aug2022
Subjects:
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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        atl: Evidence and Knowledge from Computer Simulation.
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        au: Parker, Wendy S.
        affil: Department of Philosophy, Durham University, 50 Old Elvet, DH1 3HN, Durham, UK
      su:
        Computer simulation
        Meteorology
        Astrophysics
        Virtue epistemology
      sug:
        subj:
          Computer simulation
          Meteorology
          Astrophysics
          Virtue epistemology
      ab: Can computer simulation results be evidence for hypotheses about real-world systems and phenomena? If so, what sort of evidence? Can we gain genuinely new knowledge of the world via simulation? I argue that evidence from computer simulation is aptly characterized as higher-order evidence: it is evidence that other evidence regarding a hypothesis about the world has been collected. Insofar as particular epistemic agents do not have this other evidence, it is possible that they will gain genuinely new knowledge of the world via simulation. I illustrate with examples inspired by uses of simulation in meteorology and astrophysics.
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