Computer Modelling of Theory: Explanation for the 21st Century

The words theory, model, and explanation are used in different ways by different writers. Complete agreement on their meanings among natural scientists, social scientists, philosophers of science, engineers and others seems unlikely, since meaning depends partly on context and on discipline-specific conventions. Accepted meanings of these words often depend on subject matter, and on the purposes of research. In practice, a theory, model, or explanation—or a good theory, model, or explanation—for a physicist or chemist may differ in some respects from a theory, model, or explanation for a biologist, a meteorologist, or a demographer. These differences may appear all the greater if one looks at the use of models and theories in practical decision making, as in engineering or policy formation.