Topic > Essay on model-dependent realism - 737

“How can we understand the world we find ourselves in?” In The Grand Design, a 2010 book written by theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow, two authors claim to have found a philosophical approach – Model Dependent Realism (MDR) – as a solution to this fundamental question of philosophy. By combining ideas raised by the methodology of mathematics and physics, MDR opens up a possible path to reconciling the uncertain nature of modern science and the idealistic search for absolute truth – perhaps the theory of everything (TOE). According to Hawking and Leonard, Model-Dependent Realism “is based on the idea that our brain interprets input from our sensory organs by creating a model of the world. When such a model manages to explain events, we tend to attribute to it, and to the elements and concepts that constitute it, the quality of reality or absolute truth. same time with equal legitimacy. This is called Alternative Reality. “There may be different ways in which the same physical situation could be modeled,” says Stephen Hawking, “and each of them uses different fundamental elements and concepts.” For example, both the legend that a giant wolf eats the moon and the theory that the moon is covered by the earth's shadow explain the eclipse phenomenon, and “if two such theories or physical models accurately predict the same events,” Hawking explains: “one cannot be said to be more real than the other; rather, we are free to use whatever model is most convenient. “The idea of ​​alternative reality challenges the Principle of Contradiction, a fundamental part of the logic that lies… in the middle of the paper… which “they must have served to hold without exception, if not universally”. The precision rule requires that models make predictions as specific as possible so that future observations can disprove or falsify the model. Despite the fact that resorting to MDR is inevitable in the modern philosophical context, it still has some flaws that should not be overlooked. Most important of all, although titled Realism, MDR produces at best plausible hypotheses. In some ways, both the scientific method and model-dependent realism are like riding a wild horse. When one gets into the saddle and rides, it may seem that the horse is following his will by running in the assigned direction, but it is actually possible that this is not the case, because the horse has a mind of its own. Model-dependent realists must avoid overconfidence by keeping in mind that models are only artificial.