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Universality and Modeling Limiting Behaviors

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2022

Collin Rice
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Abstract

Most attempts to justify the use of idealized models to explain appeal to the accuracy of the model with respect to difference-making causes. In this article, I argue for an alternative way to justify using idealized models to explain that appeals to universality classes. In support of this view, I show that scientific modelers seeking to explain stable limiting behaviors often explicitly appeal to universality classes in order to justify their use of idealized models to explain.

Type
Models and Modeling
Information
Philosophy of Science , Volume 87 , Issue 5: PSA 2018 - Proceedings of the 2018 biennial meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association. Part II Symposia Papers , December 2020 , pp. 829 - 840
Copyright
Copyright © The Philosophy of Science Association

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Footnotes

†

Thanks to Julia Bursten, Robert Batterman, Chris Pincock, Jenn Jhun, and the audience of our symposium at PSA 2018 for helpful discussions and feedback. I am also grateful to two anonymous reviewers whose comments helped improve the final version.

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