Abstract

RACINES-CORREA, Jairo Isaac. Philosophical problems for a theory of scientific representation. discus.filos [online]. 2022, vol.23, n.41, pp.59-80.  Epub Aug 10, 2023. ISSN 0124-6127.  https://doi.org/10.17151/difil.2022.23.41.4.

In opposition to the skepticism stated by Callender and Cohen regarding the existence of some problem around scientific representation, the objective of this article is to show a set of peculiar, though not exclusive, characteristics of scientific representation that a satisfactory theory should explain. These are: predication, the possibility of being an incorrect representation, surrogate reasoning, and the independence between content and denotation. Furthermore, it is argued that a satisfactory theory of representation should offer a definition of its representational means, that is, of what a scientific model is. Finally, it is proposed that, to account for these characteristics, it is sufficient to answer the question ‘How do scientific models allow gaining information about the represented object?’

Keywords : Scientific representation; scientific models; stipulative conception; denotation; predication; surrogative reasoning.

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