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(2009) Synthese 169 (3).
Does matter really matter?
computer simulations, experiments, and materiality
Wendy S. Parker
pp. 483-496
A number of recent discussions comparing computer simulation and traditional experimentation have focused on the significance of “materiality.” I challenge several claims emerging from this work and suggest that computer simulation studies are material experiments in a straightforward sense. After discussing some of the implications of this material status for the epistemology of computer simulation, I consider the extent to which materiality (in a particular sense) is important when it comes to making justified inferences about target systems on the basis of experimental results.
Publication details
DOI: 10.1007/s11229-008-9434-3
Full citation:
Parker, W. S. (2009). Does matter really matter?: computer simulations, experiments, and materiality. Synthese 169 (3), pp. 483-496.