Professor Margaret Morrison, specialist in philosophy of science and history of physics, and winner of a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship in 2017, is one of the keynote speakers at the 2017 European Philosophy of Science Association (EPSA) conference taking place at the University of Exeter, UK, from September 6-9, 2017.
Prof. Morrison delivered the Springer Philosophy plenary lecture this morning entitled “Experiment vs. Simulation: A False Dichotomy?” in which she discussed models, validating simulations, and the fact that “simulation is part of experimental knowledge, not something distinct.”
Prof. Morrison’s presentation concluded that a “new methodology of experimentation requires a new epistemological approach to assessing simulation data.”
Reactions on Twitter to Prof. Morrison’s talk were diverse and curious.
Thinking along M Morrison’s talk #epsa17. How does LHC experiments delimit simulated data from exp data? A very complex mix i bet.
— Nahuel Sznajderhaus (@N_Sznajderhaus) September 6, 2017
Margie Morrison: in high-energy physics, data can’t be produced from experimental apparatus, or understood, without simulation data #EPSA17
— The BJPS (@TheBJPS) September 6, 2017
#EPSA17 I’m really liking this slide from Margaret Morrison about validating simulations pic.twitter.com/E0l8nEW8ka
— Brendan Clarke (@philmedman) September 6, 2017
Image courtesy of Dr. Brendan Clarke, University College London.
Prof. Morrison’s research is in the history and philosophy of science, in particular the issue of unification, the role of models, and the nature of emergence in the natural sciences.
She is the author of Reconstructing Reality: Models, Mathematics, and Simulations (Oxford UP, 2015) and Unifying Scientific Theories: Physical Concepts and Mathematical Structures (Cambridge UP, 2000).
You can follow all the latest proceedings from the EPSA conference with the #EPSA17 hashtag on Twitter!
SHARE
