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Fiction and Philosophy of Science

Paired Readings for the Science Classroom

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Abstract

Writings that allow the reader to consider ideas in the sciences from different perspectives are of value both to students of the sciences and students from other disciplines. The construction and validation of models are central to knowledge generation in the sciences. Therefore it is worthwhile to spend time in the classroom developing student understanding of what models are, their usefulness, and their limitations. In this context, I suggest three texts that can complement a discussion on scientific models—two translated pieces of fiction by Jorge Luis Borges, Funes the Memorious (1942) and On Exactitude in Science (1946), and a philosophical essay by Arturo Rosenblueth and Norbert Wiener, The Role of Models in Science (1945).

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Suggested Reading

  1. A Rosenblueth and N Wiener, The Role of Models in Science, Phil. Sci., Vol.12, pp.316–321, 1945.

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  2. J L Borges, Funes the Memorious (1942), Translated by J E Irby, Labyrinths: Selected Stories & Other Writings, pp.148–154, 1964.

  3. J L Borges, On Exactitude in Science (1946), Translated by Andrew Hurley, Collected Fictions, pp.325, 1998.

  4. R Frigg and S Hartmann, Models in Science, Ed. Edward N. Zalta, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2020.

  5. L Carroll, Sylvie and Bruno Concluded, Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg (2015). Retrieved October 3, 2021, from www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/48795.

  6. Korzybski, Alfred, A non-Aristotelian system and its necessity for rigour in mathematics and physics, Paper presented before the American Mathematical Society at the New Orleans, Louisiana, Meeting of the A.A.A.S. December 28, 1931.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts, Symbiosis International (Deemed University), Viman Nagar, Pune, 411 014, India

    Sumithra Surendralal

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  1. Sumithra Surendralal
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Correspondence to Sumithra Surendralal.

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Sumithra Surendralal is an assistant professor at the Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts (SSLA), Pune, teaching courses in physics, mathematics, and general science. She works on modelling the syntax underlying behavioural sequences, such as animal vocalisations. She is also interested in conversations around pedagogy, particularly in the many versions of “The Two Cultures” debate and what they mean for the undergraduate classroom.

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Surendralal, S. Fiction and Philosophy of Science. Reson 28, 1065–1073 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12045-023-1637-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12045-023-1637-x

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