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The Ontology of Models Read chapter Read first chapter

2017 | OriginalPaper | Chapter

19. Hypothetical Models in Social Science

Authors : Alessandra Basso, Chiara Lisciandra, Caterina Marchionni

Published in: Springer Handbook of Model-Based Science

Publisher: Springer International Publishing

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Abstract

The chapter addresses the philosophical issues raised by the use of hypothetical modeling in the social sciences. Hypothetical modeling involves the construction and analysis of simple hypothetical systems to represent complex social phenomena for the purpose of understanding those social phenomena.
To highlight its main features hypothetical modeling is compared both to laboratory experimentation and to computer simulation. In analogy with laboratory experiments, hypothetical models can be conceived of as scientific representations that attempt to isolate, theoretically, the working of causal mechanisms or capacities from disturbing factors. However, unlike experiments, hypothetical models need to deal with the epistemic uncertainty due to the inevitable presence of unrealistic assumptions introduced for purposes of analytical tractability. Computer simulations have been claimed to be able to overcome some of the strictures of analytical tractability. Still they differ from hypothetical models in how they derive conclusions and in the kind of understanding they provide.
The inevitable presence of unrealistic assumptions makes the legitimacy of the use of hypothetical modeling to learn about the world a particularly pressing problem in the social sciences. A review of the contemporary philosophical debate shows that there is still little agreement on what social scientific models are and what they are for. This suggests that there might not be a single answer to the question of what is the epistemic value of hypothetical models in the social sciences.

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previous chapter Physically Similar Systems - A History of the Concept
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Appendix
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Metadata
Title
Hypothetical Models in Social Science
Authors
Alessandra Basso
Chiara Lisciandra
Caterina Marchionni
Copyright Year
2017
Publisher
Springer International Publishing
Book
Springer Handbook of Model-Based Science

Print ISBN: 978-3-319-30525-7

Electronic ISBN: 978-3-319-30526-4

Copyright Year: 2017

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-30526-4_19

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