Models and Operational Iconicity. A Peircean Approach

JAVIER LEGRIS

VALPARAISO

Workshop; First Workshop on Models and Idealizations in Science; 2016

UNIVERSIDAD DE VALPARAISO - FACULTAD DE HUMANIDADES

Diagrams are an extended and fruitful way torepresent, manipulate and get information in different fields of science (bothformal and factual sciences). Moreover, they played an important role in theconstitution and evolution of scientific theories, and also in the developmentof their mathematical formulation. Diagrams are not linguistic entities, although they are informative. In this sense,diagrams and models, as they are used in science,  immediately exhibit interesting similarities.For example, models can, on one hand, represent a part of the world (the?target system?) and, on the other hand, they can represent a theory in thesense that they interpret the laws or principles of the theory (see Frigg &Hartmann 2012). Both representational functions can be found also in diagramsand diagrammatic systems. The comparison can be extended further.The aim of this paper is to elucidate this(general) notion of model in terms of the notion of diagram, as it is specificallycharacterized in Charles S. Peirce?s theory of signs. In this theory diagramsare icons, that is, a kind of signs. So,models are regarded as semioticentities like formulas, equations, and sentences in general. This approach has alreadybeen proposed in Knuutila 2010 and Kralemann& Lattmann 2013 and this paper will try to go deeper inside it, stressingsome epistemic and ontological consequences and delve into the Peirceanoriginal ideas. Firstly, models belong to the same ontological broadcategory as formulas, equations or sentences in general: they are all signs. Secondly, the function of modelsin scientific thinking and their contribution to its mathematical development canbe better understood. Finally, this general approach leads to criticize the?logocentric? idea of viewing theories as purely linguistic entities.