[FRIAM] description - explanation - metaphor - model - and reply

[thompnickson2 at gmail.com]

Hi, Glen, 

Could you say more about the heuristic value of obtuse models?  

N

Nicholas Thompson
Emeritus Professor of Ethology and Psychology
Clark University
ThompNickSon2 at gmail.com
https://wordpress.clarku.edu/nthompson/
 


-----Original Message-----
From: Friam <friam-bounces at redfish.com> On Behalf Of u?l? ?
Sent: Wednesday, January 15, 2020 11:14 AM
To: FriAM <friam at redfish.com>
Subject: Re: [FRIAM] description - explanation - metaphor - model - and reply

Did Epstein ever respond to your criticism?

For what little it's worth, I disagree with your lesson. Obtuse models can be very useful. In fact, there's good reason to believe you will *never* actually understand how your model works, any more than you'll ever understand how that model's referent(s) work. I may even be able to use Pierce to argue that to you. 8^)

On 1/15/20 9:23 AM, thompnickson2 at gmail.com wrote:
> The lesson is, if you
> don’t understand how your model works, you aren’t doing yourself any 
> favors by inventing it.  This led to my war with Epstein in the pages of JSSS about the relation between explanation and prediction.

--
☣ uǝlƃ

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