Perspectives on Exploratory Modeling

Much of science involves exploration, but the philosophy of science has not devoted much systematic attention to it, as compared to more traditional topics like confirmation, explanation and theory structure. Existing writings on exploration are primarily focused on the empirical context - the discovery of novel effects and phenomena. Theoretical exploration - the seeking of novel ideas, hypotheses and explanations - is both common and important, but almost entirely absent from the philosophical agenda. This symposium aims to begin rectifying this lacuna, doing so in the context of models and modeling. The symposium aims to build bridges. One panelist is a working biologist who adds the perspective of a practicing scientist to the philosophical reflections on model-based exploration. The panel brings together philosophers of physics and biology with the aim to add a comparative and cross-disciplinary angle to the discussion. Finally, the contributors come from diverse backgrounds and career stages: we include researchers from three different continents as well as different research foci and disciplines. Some of us are well-established mid-career scholars while others are at earlier stages.