La prochaine séance du séminaire Science et Société se tiendra le mercredi 21 mai à 14h. Nous écouterons Naomi Beck (Institut d’histoire et de philosophie des sciences et des techniques, Paris 1) dont l'intervention aura pour titre : "Why Evolution ? The Origins of Hayek’s Unorthodox Theory"

Computer simulations are widely used in contemporary science. They lay in the heart of climate science for atmosphere is an especially complex system, whose evolution is impossible to understand without computers. Neither empirical inquiry, nor mathematical reasoning through theoretical models are sufficient to study the highly non-linear behavior of our planet's climate. 

Whereas thought experiments have long been a common practice in science and an important topic of philosophical analysis, the recent development of computer simulation has not been paid much philosophical attention yet in relation to thought experiments. Conceptual investigation has focused on the links between thought experiments and experiments on the one hand and computer simulation and experiments on the other. However, striking similarities between thought experiment and computer simulation can be found. They are both used when experiments cannot be made.