Diagrams as Tools for Scientific Reasoning

被引：18

作者：

Abrahamsen A. ^{[1
]}

Bechtel W. ^{[1
]}

机构：

[1] University of California, San Diego

来源：

Review of Philosophy and Psychology | 2015年 / 6卷 / 1期

基金：

美国国家科学基金会;

关键词：

Molecular Clock; Mechanistic Explanation; Vasoactive Intestinal Polypeptide; Line Graph; Mechanistic Account;

D O I：

10.1007/s13164-014-0215-2

中图分类号：

学科分类号：

摘要：

We contend that diagrams are tools not only for communication but also for supporting the reasoning of biologists. In the mechanistic research that is characteristic of biology, diagrams delineate the phenomenon to be explained, display explanatory relations, and show the organized parts and operations of the mechanism proposed as responsible for the phenomenon. Both phenomenon diagrams and explanatory relations diagrams, employing graphs or other formats, facilitate applying visual processing to the detection of relevant patterns. Mechanism diagrams guide reasoning about how the parts and operations work together to produce the phenomenon and what experiments need to be done to improve on the existing account. We examine how these functions are served by diagrams in circadian rhythm research. © 2014, Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.

引用

页码：117 / 131

页数：14

共 35 条

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