Titel
Biological Control Variously Materialized: Modeling, Experimentation and Exploration in Multiple Media
Autor*in
Abstract
This paper examines two parallel discussions of scientific modeling which have invoked experimentation in addressing the role of models in scientific inquiry. One side discusses the experimental character of models, whereas the other focuses on their exploratory uses. Although both relate modeling to experimentation, they do so differently. The former has considered the similarities and differences between models and experiments, addressing, in particular, the epistemic value of materiality. By contrast, the focus on exploratory modeling has highlighted the various kinds of exploratory functions of models in the early stages of inquiry. These two perspectives on modeling are discussed through a case study in the field of synthetic biology. The research practice in question explores biological control by making use of an ensemble of different epistemic means: mathematical models and simulations, synthetic genetic circuits and intracellular measuring devices, and finally electronic circuits. We argue that the study of exploratory modeling should trace the ways different epistemic means, in different materialities, are being combined over time. Finally, the epistemic status of such novel investigative objects as synthetic genetic circuits is evaluated, with the conclusion that they can function as both experiments and models.
Stichwort
History and Philosophy of ScienceMultidisciplinary
Objekt-Typ
Sprache
Englisch [eng]
Persistent identifier
phaidra.univie.ac.at/o:1401342
Erschienen in
Titel
Perspectives on Science
Band
29
Ausgabe
4
ISSN
1063-6145
Erscheinungsdatum
2021
Seitenanfang
468
Seitenende
492
Publication
MIT Press - Journals
Version
Fördergeber
European Union (all programmes) — LIFEMODE
Datum der Annahme zur Veröffentlichung
2021
Zugänglichkeit
Rechte
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