Computer simulation and philosophy of science

Abstract

There are a variety of topics in the philosophy of science that need to be rethought, in varying degrees, after one pays careful attention to the ways in which computer simulations are used in the sciences. There are a number of conceptual issues internal to the practice of computer simula- tion that can benefit from the attention of philosophers. This essay surveys some of the recent lit- erature on simulation from the perspective of the philosophy of science and argues that philosophers have a lot to learn by paying closer attention to the practice of simulation.