Simulation: Pragmatic Constructions of Reality (Sociology of the Sciences Yearbook Book 25)

This book examines the historical roots and evolution of simulation from an epistemological, institutional and technical perspective. Rich case studies go far beyond documentation of simulation’s capacity for application in many domains, they also explore the "functional" and "structural" debate that continues to traverse simulation thought and action. One here asks if simulation deeply transforms science, or instead constitutes a limited tool that principally extends the repertory of erstwhile practice. Does simulation comprise a novel form of experiment, or rather operate as a mechanism which extends standing forms of experimentation? What are simulation’s relations with models or theory, for example? These studies further query to what extent and in what ways simulation may be regarded as a discipline, a special species of instrument, or as transdisciplinary. Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Computer Simulation: Practice, Epistemology, and Social Dynamics....Pages 3-22 Front Matter....Pages 23-23 The Shape of Molecules to Come....Pages 25-39 From Representation to Production: Parsers and Parsing in Language Technology....Pages 41-55 Foundations for the Simulation of Ecosystems....Pages 57-77 Models, Models Everywhere....Pages 79-86 Front Matter....Pages 87-87 From Hierarchical to Network-Like Integration: A Revolution of Modeling Style in Computer-Simulation....Pages 89-106 The Difference Between Answering a ‘Why’ Question and Answering a ‘How Much’ Question....Pages 107-124 Struggle Between Specificity and Generality: How Do Infectious Disease Models Become a Simulation Platform?....Pages 125-138 Handshaking Your Way to the Top: Simulation at the Nanoscale....Pages 139-151 Front Matter....Pages 153-153 Locating the Dry Lab on the Lab Map....Pages 155-172 Simulation Uncertainty and the Challenge of Postnormal Science....Pages 173-185 When is Simulation a Research Technology? Practices, Markets, and Lingua Franca....Pages 187-203 This book examines the historical roots and evolution of simulation from an epistemological, institutional and technical perspective. Rich case studies go far beyond documentation of simulation’s capacity for application in many domains; they also explore the "functional" and "structural" debate that continues to traverse simulation thought and action. This book is an essential contribution to the assessment of simulation as scientific instrument.