Guilherme Sanches de Oliveira (University of Cincinnati)
A powerful idea put forward in the recent philosophy of science literature is that scientific models are best understood as instruments, tools or, more generally, artifacts. This view ('artifactualism') is independent from the traditional philosophical approach of analyzing models as representations. Current artifactual accounts recognize this independence but still incorporate representational elements, treating models as representational tools or instruments. This article argues that a leaner version of artifactualism, free of representationalist assumptions, is both desirable and viable. Taking seriously the idea that models are artifacts elucidates a number of philosophical issues concerning scientific modeling while also dissolving puzzles about representation.
