“Formal Modeling in Philosophy of Science – Let’s be realistic!“ by Edouard Machery

ABSTRACT: In recent years, formal models have become increasingly important in philosophy of science, particularly among social epistemologists. They have also become an important component of metascience. This talk will argue that formal modelers in philosophy have been insufficiently concerned with grounding their modeling in empirical evidence, limiting themselves to interesting, but not always illuminating, possible models. To fulfill its promises, the formal revolution must be accompanied by an empirical turn.