Models as Make-Believe: Imagination, Fiction and Scientific Representation [Paperback]

Scientists often try to understand the world by building simplified and idealised models of it. Adam Toon develops a new approach to scientific models by comparing them to the dolls and toy trucks of children's imaginative games, and offers a unified framework to solve difficult metaphysical problems and help to make sense of scientific practice.List of Figures Preface Acknowledgements Introduction Models and Representation What Models Are How Models Represent Carbon in Cardboard Playing with Molecules Conclusion Notes References IndexADAM TOON is Marie Curie Fellow at the University of Exeter.