Abstracts Philosophy, Religion, and Theology

Το ζήτημα της ομοιότητας μεταξύ επιστημονικών μοντέλων και φυσικής πραγματικότητας στον επιστημολογικό στοχασμό της Susan G. Sterrett

by Virginia Grigoriadou

Although similarity and analogue models have been widely utilized in various scientific fields since the 18th century, the concept of similarity was somehow neglected in epistemological issues of philosophy of science until the late 20th century, despite that it is a core mechanism that enables experimentation. Although several approaches to scientific models have been provided by philosophers in recent decades, the wide use of the concept of similarity during the application of analogue models requires further discussion on the role of the concept itself during the representation of existing systems through analogue models, on the relationship between similarity and analogical reasoning and, on the criteria on which the verification of a specific similarity between an analogue model and a system under study should be based. On this basis, this dissertation aims to examine the relationship between similarity and representation through the scientific technique of analogue models, and, therefore, the relationship between similarity and analogue models, focusing on the innovative theory of Susan G. Sterrett, a modern philosopher of science, who identified physical similarity as the core method of analogue models. In this context, the research hypothesis we investigated was: The basic mechanism that enables experimentation through analogue models is the similarity between the model and the system under study (the target system), which should be defined and verified by strict scientific criteria to both ensure the effective utilization of the model and to validate its scientific nature. Thus, a historical and philosophical approach to the concept of similarity as a core mechanism that determines the representation through scientific models was carried out, but also the issue of the appropriate criteria to validate the similarity between two systems was discussed, focusing on highly important aspects of Sterrett’s theory. Through this research, it is argued that Sterrett’s theory is one of the important evolutionary milestones in the process of conceptualizing and defining the concepts of similarity and scientific model in modern philosophy of science. We accepted most aspects of Sterrett's theory and recognize her contribution to the clarification of these two concepts and the conceptualization of the concept of analogue models in the field of philosophy of science. However, as some omissions were traced in the philosopher's theory, we criticized specific aspects of it and re-examined some of the issues she discussed, explaining, clarifying, or complementing the philosopher's approach, or suggesting something new or even something different from her.Through the first chapter of this dissertation, we presented important definitions of the concepts of similarity and scientific models derived from different scientific fields. To further clarify the concept of the scientific model, a definition was formulated and proposed. The proposed definition describes the role of the model in the scientific methodology, the core…