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Motivating a Scientific Modeling Continuum: The Case of "Natural Models" in the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 global pandemic had a profound effect on scientific practice. During this time, officials crucially relied on the work done by modelers. This raises novel questions for the philosophy of science. Here I investigate the possibility of 'natural models' in predicting the SARS-Cov-2 virus's...

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Published in:Philosophy of Science Vol. 90; no. 4; pp. 880 - 901
Main Author: Nefdt, Ryan M.
Format: Article
Published: Cambridge University Press Oct2023
Subjects:
Scientific models
COVID-19 pandemic
Philosophy of science
SARS-CoV-2
COVID-19
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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        atl: Motivating a Scientific Modeling Continuum: The Case of "Natural Models" in the COVID-19 Pandemic.
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        au: Nefdt, Ryan M.
        affil: Department of Philosophy, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
      su:
        Scientific models
        COVID-19 pandemic
        Philosophy of science
        SARS-CoV-2
        COVID-19
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          Scientific models
          COVID-19 pandemic
          Philosophy of science
          SARS-CoV-2
          COVID-19
      ab: The COVID-19 global pandemic had a profound effect on scientific practice. During this time, officials crucially relied on the work done by modelers. This raises novel questions for the philosophy of science. Here I investigate the possibility of 'natural models' in predicting the SARS-Cov-2 virus's trajectory for epidemiological purposes. I argue that to the extent that these can be considered scientific models, they support the possibility of a continuum from scientific models to natural models differing in artifactual commitment. In making my case, I draw from work on both model organisms and natural experiments as well as recent work in epidemiology.
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    language: English
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