TF colloquium with Emily Sullivan: Idealization Failure in Science

The Department of Theoretical Philosophy of the Faculty of Philosophy in
Groningen hosts a colloquium with Emily Sullivan (Utrecht University) on "Idealization Failure in Science". Everyone is most cordially invited.

Abstract
Idealizations, deliberate distortions introduced into scientific
theories and models, are commonplace in science. This has led to a
puzzle in epistemology and philosophy of science: How could a
deliberately false claim or representation lead to the epistemic
successes of science? In answering this question philosophers have been
single-focused on explaining how and why idealizations are successful.
But surely some idealizations fail. I propose that if we ask a slightly
different question, whether a particular idealization is successful,
then that not only gives insight into idealization failure, but will
make us realize that our theories of idealization need revision. In this
talk I consider idealizations in physics, computation, and machine learning.

Short bio
Dr Sullivan's research is at the intersection of philosophy and data and
computer science, exploring the way that technology mediates our
knowledge. As of this year, she is the principal investigator on a
project funded by an ERC Starting Grant, in which she conceptualizes and
evaluates machine learning models across science and society as a type
of toy model.