Idealization and the Aims of Science

263 Pages·2017·9.77 MB·English

by  Angela Potochnik

IdealizationandtheAimsofScience

Idealization and the
Aims of Science
angela potochnik
TheUniversityofChicagoPress
ChicagoandLondon
TheUniversityofChicagoPress,Chicago60637
TheUniversityofChicagoPress,Ltd.,London
©2017byTheUniversityofChicago
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybeusedorreproducedinanymanner
whatsoeverwithoutwrittenpermission,exceptinthecaseofbriefquotationsin
criticalarticlesandreviews.Formoreinformation,contacttheUniversityofChicago
Press,1427E.60thSt.,Chicago,IL60637.
Published2017
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
26252423222120191817 12345
isbn-13:978-0-226-50705-7(cloth)
isbn-13:978-0-226-50719-4(e-book)
doi:10.7208/chicago/9780226507194.001.0001
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Names:Potochnik,Angela,author.
Title:Idealizationandtheaimsofscience/AngelaPotochnik.
Description:Chicago:TheUniversityofChicagoPress,2017.|
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
Identifiers:lccn2017028476|isbn9780226507057(cloth:alk.paper)|
isbn9780226507194(e-book)
Subjects:lcsh:Science—Philosophy.|Idealism.
Classification:lccq175.p881552017|ddc501—dc23
lcrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2017028476
∞Thispapermeetstherequirementsofansi/nisoz39.48-1992(Permanence
ofPaper).
ForMabelandAmelia,
thebookendsofthisbook

Contents
Preface ix
1 Introduction:DoingScienceinaComplexWorld 1
1.1 SciencebyHumans 2
1.2 ScienceinaComplexWorld 11
1.3 ThePayoff:IdealizationsandManyAims 18
2 ComplexCausalityandSimplifiedRepresentation 23
2.1 CausalPatternsintheFaceofComplexity 24
2.1.1 CausalPatterns 24
2.1.2 CausalComplexity 35
2.2 SimplificationbyIdealization 41
2.2.1 ReasonstoIdealize 42
2.2.2 Idealizations’RepresentationalRole 50
2.2.3 RampantandUncheckedIdealization 57
3 TheDiversityofScientificProjects 62
3.1 BroadPatterns:ModelingCooperation 63
3.2 ASpecificPhenomenon:VariationinHumanAggression 70
3.3 PredictionsandIdealizationsinthePhysicalSciences 80
3.4 SurveyingtheDiversity 88
4 ScienceIsn’taftertheTruth 90
4.1 TheAimsofScience 91
4.1.1 UnderstandingasScience’sEpistemicAim 93
4.1.2 SeparatePursuitofScience’sAims 104
4.2 Understanding,Truth,andKnowledge 112
4.2.1 TheNatureofScientificUnderstanding 112
4.2.2 TheRoleofTruthandScientificKnowledge 117
5 CausalPatternExplanations 122
5.1 Explanation,Communication,andUnderstanding 123
5.2 AnAccountofScientificExplanation 134
5.2.1 TheScopeofCausalPatterns 135
5.2.2 TheCrucialRoleoftheAudience 145
5.2.3 AdequateExplanations 153
6 LevelsandFieldsofScience 161
6.1 LevelsinPhilosophyandScience 162
6.2 GoingwithoutLevels 170
6.2.1 AgainstHierarchy 170
6.2.2 PrizingApartFormsofStratification 176
6.3 TheFieldsofScienceandHowTheyRelate 185
7 ScientificPluralismandItsLimits 198
7.1 TheEntrenchmentofSocialValues 199
7.2 HowScienceDoesn’tInformMetaphysics 206
7.3 ScientificProgress 213
Acknowledgments 223
ListofFigures 225
ListofTables 227
Notes 229
References 235
Index 247
Preface
Physicistssometimesassumethatsurfacesarefrictionlessplanes.Biologists
sometimes assume that populations of organisms are infinite in size. And
economists sometimes assume that humans are perfectly rational agents.
None of these things is true; they are all idealizations. Idealizations are
assumptionsmadewithoutregardforwhethertheyaretrueandoftenwith
fullknowledgethattheyarefalse.Idealizationsofallkindspervadescience,
andit’s uncommon forscientists totrytoreplacethemwithmoreaccurate
assumptions. On the face of it, this is a puzzle. Why do scientists deliber-
atelymaintainfalsehoodsintheirtheoriesandmodels?Whatdoidealizations
contributetoscience?
Inthisbook,Imotivateastrongviewofidealizations’centralitytoscience,
andIreconsidertheaimsofscienceinlightofthatcentrality.Ontheaccount
Idevelop,sciencedoesnotpursuetruthdirectlybutinsteadaimstosupport
humancognitiveandpracticalends.Thoseareprojectstowhichidealizations
candirectlycontributeinanumberofways.
The first three chapters are used to develop my account of idealization’s
central role in science. In Chapter 1, I discuss how science is shaped by its
humanpractitionersandbytheworld’scomplexity.Together,thesetwoideas
inspireaviewofscienceasthesearchforcausalpatterns,asearchthatinvari-
ably relies heavily on idealizations. Idealizations contribute to science in a
variety ofways,including byplayingapositiverepresentational role.These
ideasaredevelopedinChapter2.InChapter3,Idetailafewcasestudiesthat
demonstratetheubiquityofidealizationinscience,aswellasthewiderange
ofpurposesitserves.
The last four chapters explore the implications of this account of ideal-
izationforcentralphilosophicaldebatesabouttheaimsofscience.Chapter4