Scientific modelling with diagrams

Ulrich E Stegmann (Corresponding Author)

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

Abstract

Diagrams can serve as representational models in scientific research, yet important questions remain about how they do so. I address some of these questions with a historical case study, in which diagrams were modified extensively in order to elaborate an early hypothesis of protein synthesis. The diagrams’ modelling role relied mainly on two features: diagrams were modified according to syntactic rules, which temporarily replaced physico-chemical reasoning, and diagram-to-target inferences were based on semantic interpretations. I then explore the lessons for the relative roles of syntax, semantics, external marks, and mental images, for justifying diagram-to-target inferences, and for the “artefactual approach” to scientific models.
Original languageEnglish
JournalSynthese
Early online date13 May 2019
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 13 May 2019

Fingerprint

semantics
syntax
interpretation
Diagrams
Modeling
Inference

Keywords

  • Representational models
  • Mental images
  • Notation
  • Mechanism
  • Physical models
  • Syntactic symbol manipulation
  • George Gamow
  • Francis Crick
  • Protein synthesis

Cite this

Scientific modelling with diagrams. / Stegmann, Ulrich E (Corresponding Author).

In: Synthese, 13.05.2019.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

Stegmann, UE 2019, 'Scientific modelling with diagrams' Synthese. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-019-02239-0
Stegmann UE. Scientific modelling with diagrams. Synthese. 2019 May 13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-019-02239-0
Stegmann, Ulrich E. / Scientific modelling with diagrams. In: Synthese. 2019.
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