01 / Reading Guide
Reading Guide
Who this book is for
For advanced undergraduates and graduate readers investigating how models make knowledge possible. Frigg offers an extended comparison of approaches rather than a first survey of scientific reasoning. The book is useful beside a modeling course or a philosophy seminar, especially when students want to connect claims about theory with actual representational practices.
Prerequisites
An introductory philosophy-of-science course and basic logic are strongly helpful. Be comfortable with abstract arguments and some scientific examples; particular mathematical passages may require additional background beyond a general philosophical introduction.
What it covers
Four main parts examine linguistic approaches to theories, model-theoretical approaches, scientific representation and modeling in practice. Topics include observation and theoretical terms, structures and their interpretation, analogy, idealization, the ontology of models and the use of multiple models. The organization lets readers compare what each account explains about model, theory and target, while also seeing where approaches disagree.
How to use it
Select a scientific model you understand and describe its target, assumptions and intended use. Revisit that example under the competing accounts. Ask whether a view explains a model’s structure, its reference to the world or the inferences scientists make with it. Reconstruct one argument before deciding whether a scientific example supports it. Keep idealization, error and abstraction distinct when testing an objection.
Edition and sources
The complete Routledge publication is legally available through LSE Research Online under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Its title-page publication statement is 2023. The selected paperback ISBN is 9781844654918; the ebook identifier is different. The repository’s final publisher PDF should be distinguished from the shorter 2022 preview manuscript. Publisher or author record. Official full text.
