Idealization and the Aims of Science

Developmental plasticity and evolutionary explanations

“…The causal complexity of the world means that these explanations must rely on representations that not only leave out most features but also misrepresent others (Cartwright, 1983;Potochnik, 2017;Strevens, 2008). Natural phenomena are produced by such a diversity of causes that it would be impossible to refer to them all.…”

“…In fact, even if we could, this would merely be a description. This makes it possible to foresee what would have happened if things would have been different, and thereby grasp how features of the world are connected (Potochnik, 2017). The causal complexity of the world means that these explanations must rely on representations that not only leave out most features but also misrepresent others (Cartwright, 1983;Potochnik, 2017;Strevens, 2008).…”

The structure of asymptotic idealization

“…My characterization of the nature of asymptotic idealization will, as a consequence, be compatible with any of a number of views about idealization's scientific role: the pragmatic view, my irrelevancesignaling view, and many others.2 I will introduce asymptotic idealization by contrasting it with what I 2. For a great deal more on idealization and various approaches to understanding its role in explanation and elsewhere, see McMullin (1985); Weisberg (2007);Elgin (2007);Potochnik (2017). will call simple idealization. Because asymptotic idealization is characterized with reference to the process by which an idealized model is created-that is, some sort of limiting process-it will be illuminating to offer a procedural characterization of simple idealization too, identifying it not so much by the structure of the end product, a certain deliberately misrepresenting model, but by the way in which the structure is derived.…”

Seeing “Lamarckian” More Positively: The Use/Disuse Paradigm Increases Understanding

“…Most explanations in science are highly idealized and might capture certain aspects of a causal pattern in a distorted way, but might capture other aspects of the pattern very well. In addition, two contradictory but highly idealized explanations can at the same time increase our understanding of a specific process . These benefits can also be realized when proposing a Lamarckian mechanism, that is, a use/disuse paradigm for certain processes of inheritance.…”

“…In addition, two contradictory but highly idealized explanations can at the same time increase our understanding of a specific process. [10] These benefits can also be realized when proposing a Lamarckian mechanism, that is, a use/disuse paradigm for certain processes of inheritance. Use/disuse captures several aspects of IDSA and RNAi inheritance very well.…”