A theoretical juice extractor: The Role of Mathematics in Scientific Explanation

It has recently been argued that mathematics can play a genuinely explanatory role in science. Cases where this is supposed to be the case have been divided into those where the explanatory role is played by mathematical operations, and those where it is played by mathematical entities. In this arti...

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Autor principal: Barrantes, Manuel
Formato: Artículo revista
Lenguaje:Español
Publicado: Centro de Investigaciones de la Facultad de Filosofía y Humanidades 2022
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Acceso en línea:https://revistas.unc.edu.ar/index.php/afjor/article/view/38809
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spelling I10-R341-article-388092025-01-01T15:10:35Z A theoretical juice extractor: The Role of Mathematics in Scientific Explanation Un extractor de jugo teórico: El papel de las matemáticas en la explicación científica Barrantes, Manuel Barrantes, Manuel scientific explanation mathematical explanation representation cicadas rainbows honeycombs explicación científica explicación matemática representación cigarras arcoíris panales It has recently been argued that mathematics can play a genuinely explanatory role in science. Cases where this is supposed to be the case have been divided into those where the explanatory role is played by mathematical operations, and those where it is played by mathematical entities. In this article, I analyze some of these purported cases and argue that claims that mathematics can be genuinely explanatory are unfounded. Throughout my discussion, I emphasize the representational role of mathematics, as opposed to its supposed explanatory role: the role of mathematics, even in the cases that I discuss, is to represent physical facts and help draw inferences about those facts. Recientemente se han propuesto casos en los que, supuestamente, las matemáticas cumplirían un rol genuinamente explicativo en ciencia. Estos se han dividido entre aquellas situaciones en las que el rol explicativo lo cumplirían las operaciones matemáticas, y aquellas en las que lo cumplirían las entidades matemáticas. En este artículo analizo algunos de estos supuestos casos y sostengo que es infundado afirmar que las matemáticas puedan ser genuinamente explicativas. En mi discusión, enfatizo en rol representacional de las matemáticas, opuesto al rol supuestamente explicativo: el rol de las matemáticas, incluso en los casos que discuto, es representar hechos científicos y ayudar a realizar inferencias acerca de dichos hechos. Centro de Investigaciones de la Facultad de Filosofía y Humanidades 2022-12-31 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://revistas.unc.edu.ar/index.php/afjor/article/view/38809 10.61377/ehc.38809 Epistemología e Historia de la Ciencia; Vol. 7 No. 1 (2022): Epistemología e Historia de la Ciencia; 6-21 Epistemología e Historia de la Ciencia; Vol. 7 Núm. 1 (2022): Epistemología e Historia de la Ciencia; 6-21 Epistemología e Historia de la Ciencia; v. 7 n. 1 (2022): Epistemología e Historia de la Ciencia; 6-21 2525-1198 spa https://revistas.unc.edu.ar/index.php/afjor/article/view/38809/40267 Derechos de autor 2022 Manuel Barrantes http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
institution Universidad Nacional de Córdoba
institution_str I-10
repository_str R-341
container_title_str Epistemología e Historia de la Ciencia
language Español
format Artículo revista
topic scientific explanation
mathematical explanation
representation
cicadas
rainbows
honeycombs
explicación científica
explicación matemática
representación
cigarras
arcoíris
panales
spellingShingle scientific explanation
mathematical explanation
representation
cicadas
rainbows
honeycombs
explicación científica
explicación matemática
representación
cigarras
arcoíris
panales
Barrantes, Manuel
Barrantes, Manuel
A theoretical juice extractor: The Role of Mathematics in Scientific Explanation
topic_facet scientific explanation
mathematical explanation
representation
cicadas
rainbows
honeycombs
explicación científica
explicación matemática
representación
cigarras
arcoíris
panales
author Barrantes, Manuel
Barrantes, Manuel
author_facet Barrantes, Manuel
Barrantes, Manuel
author_sort Barrantes, Manuel
title A theoretical juice extractor: The Role of Mathematics in Scientific Explanation
title_short A theoretical juice extractor: The Role of Mathematics in Scientific Explanation
title_full A theoretical juice extractor: The Role of Mathematics in Scientific Explanation
title_fullStr A theoretical juice extractor: The Role of Mathematics in Scientific Explanation
title_full_unstemmed A theoretical juice extractor: The Role of Mathematics in Scientific Explanation
title_sort theoretical juice extractor: the role of mathematics in scientific explanation
description It has recently been argued that mathematics can play a genuinely explanatory role in science. Cases where this is supposed to be the case have been divided into those where the explanatory role is played by mathematical operations, and those where it is played by mathematical entities. In this article, I analyze some of these purported cases and argue that claims that mathematics can be genuinely explanatory are unfounded. Throughout my discussion, I emphasize the representational role of mathematics, as opposed to its supposed explanatory role: the role of mathematics, even in the cases that I discuss, is to represent physical facts and help draw inferences about those facts.
publisher Centro de Investigaciones de la Facultad de Filosofía y Humanidades
publishDate 2022
url https://revistas.unc.edu.ar/index.php/afjor/article/view/38809
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first_indexed 2024-09-03T21:23:35Z
last_indexed 2025-02-05T22:08:51Z
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