Scientific models and fictional objects

Gabriele Contessa

pp. 215-229

in: Gabriele Contessa (ed), The ontology of scientific models, Synthese 172 (2), 2010.

Abstract

In this paper, I distinguish scientific models in three kinds on the basis of their ontological status—material models, mathematical models and fictional models, and develop and defend an account of fictional models as fictional objects—i.e. abstract objects that stand for possible concrete objects.