CEFISES Seminar: Roman Frigg, “Re-presenting Scientific Representation”

Livestream https://youtu.be/JA3lnVoC2GI

Series: OLOFOS

Abstract: Many scientific models are representations. But what does it mean for a model to represent something beyond itself? There are number of suggestions available, but none is entirely satisfactory. We present an alternative account of representation, which we call the DEKI account. It offers a complex kind of representation involving an interplay of four elements: denotation, exemplification, keying up of properties, and imputation, which also give the account its name. We explain the various elements of the account and illustrate its working with a physical model, the so-called Phillips-Newlyn machine. We then show how the account can be carried over to other kinds of models, notably fictional and mathematical models. This shows that DEKI is universal account of how models represent their respective target systems.