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Projekt Druckansicht

Modelle, Mechanismen, Komplexität. Zur Philosophie der Systembiologie

Fachliche Zuordnung Theoretische Philosophie
Förderung Förderung von 2011 bis 2015
Projektkennung Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Projektnummer 201038283
 
Erstellungsjahr 2015

Zusammenfassung der Projektergebnisse

Mathematical modelling plays an increasingly important role in molecular and cell biology. In contrast to other areas, like the engineering sciences, the role of models in the life sciences is quite different. The systems under consideration are complex, their mechanisms and parameter values mostly unknown. This project focused on the role of models, and more specifically the role of abstraction for understanding and explanation. While some projects may aim for a biochemical realism of model, other models are deliberately simplistic, compared to the actual number of components involved. The same type of representation (e.g. ODEs) can thus serve very different purposes. A result of our project is the conclusion that there is a need for a model ontology that practitioners could use to explain/justify the type of model they are pursuing. Neither the biological context, nor the mathematical representation by itself can communicate the purpose of a model and its value in the process of answering biological questions. The communication between interdisciplinary teams would benefit from a philosophical perspective and model ontology.

Projektbezogene Publikationen (Auswahl)

 
 

Zusatzinformationen

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