Inference and Representation

“Beautifully bringing together historical and contemporary research on representations in science with themes from aesthetics and the philosophy of art, Suárez’s book is an outstanding interdisciplinary contribution to the philosophy of science. It is essential reading for anyone interested in modeling practices, their connections with the arts, and what this insightful combination of science, art, and practice might bring to the epistemology of science.” -- Chiara Ambrosio, University College London “Suárez has been a leading voice in the philosophy of modeling for the last two decades. This book is a wonderfully clear and compelling presentation of his ‘inferentialist theory of representation.’ The book will be a central resource for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, and required reading for every philosopher of science.” -- Martin Kusch, University of Vienna “Suárez has written a brilliant account of the inferential conception of scientific representation, its historical roots, and its application to contemporary scientific modeling. What stands out is his deflationist approach toward metaphysics, the streamlined account in terms of representational force and inferential capacity, and the connection to the phenomenology of artistic perception. A magnificent work.”  -- Bas C. van Fraassen, Princeton University “Inference and Representation makes a strong case for an inferential conception of scientific modeling. It argues that the effectiveness of a model lies in its providing an orientation that facilitates fruitful scientific reasoning. It is a valuable contribution to the literature on modeling.” -- Catherine Z. Elgin, Harvard University “This much-anticipated book is the culmination of over twenty years of pioneering work by Suárez. It is a must-read for anyone wishing to think carefully about models and representations in science. Suárez gives a careful, insightful, and comprehensive exposition and defence of his inferential conception of representation, and he now develops it in an expressly pragmatist direction with a helpful focus on the uses of models. What emerges is a compelling deflationary account of ‘representation without metaphysics,’ engaging fully with the complex realities of inferential practices. Suárez argues that common notions of representation based on similarity or isomorphism are ill-fitting and inadequate, and shows how the activity of representation pervades all sorts of scientific practices. His discussion is clear and systematic throughout, and successfully combines philosophical acuity and historical awareness. In the course of presenting his own position he also gives a fair, critical summing-up and evaluation of the considerable existing literature on models and representation. This landmark work should appeal to philosophers, historians of science and practicing scientists alike.” -- Hasok Chang, University of Cambridge “During the past quarter-century, philosophers of science have come to appreciate the importance of models and modeling practices in the sciences. Suárez has been one of the pioneers in this work, specifically in investigating how models represent aspects of the world. The present book is the culmination of insights accumulated over more than two decades. It provides a convincing account of representation, one emphasizing the uses to which models are put and the inferences they allow. Suárez develops his views with welcome precision, focuses on an admirably wide range of types of models, and offers numerous insights about the historical development of modeling. His final two chapters explore the notion of representation more broadly, with a lucid and well-informed discussion of representation in visual art, and draw out the implications for several large issues in the philosophy of science. This book is an outstanding contribution to the field.” -- Philip Kitcher, Columbia University