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Mlodinow & Hawking on Model-Dependent Realism

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Author Topic:   Mlodinow & Hawking on Model-Dependent Realism
ringo
Member (Idle past 438 days)
Posts: 20940
From: frozen wasteland
Joined: 03-23-2005

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Message 4 of 72 (588533)
10-26-2010 12:51 PM 		Reply to: Message 1 by Stephen Push
10-25-2010 7:59 PM

Stephen Push writes:
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Still, they add, neither model can be said to be more real than the other.
A model is "real" only in the sense that it exists and can be observed. It is not the thing that it models. A model of a skyscraper is not a skyscraper.
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Two different models of the same thing are equally "real" but one may be an accurate model and the other may not.
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"It appears that many of you turn to Hebrew to escape the English...." -- Joseppi
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 Message 5 by Straggler, posted 10-26-2010 12:59 PM ringo has replied
  
ringo
Member (Idle past 438 days)
Posts: 20940
From: frozen wasteland
Joined: 03-23-2005

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Message 8 of 72 (588550)
10-26-2010 2:19 PM 		Reply to: Message 5 by Straggler
10-26-2010 12:59 PM

Re: Models
Straggler writes:
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I am not sure your skyscraper analogy is very good exactly because the perfect model of a skyscraper would be a replica skyscraper. Whereas no scientific theory or model will ever actually be that which it models.
That's my point exactly. It doesn't matter how "real", complete, convincing, etc. a model is. What counts is whether or not it's an accurate depiction of what it purports to model.
​
"It appears that many of you turn to Hebrew to escape the English...." -- Joseppi
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