•  56
    Epistemic opacity vis a vis human agents has been presented as an essential, ineliminable characteristic of computer simulation models resulting from the characteristics of the human cognitive agent. This paper argues, on the contrary, that such epistemic opacity as does occur in computer simulations is not a consequence of human limitations but of a failure on the part of model developers to adopt good software engineering practice for managing human error and ensuring the software artefact is …Read more
  •  34
    Scientific findings based on computer simulation evoke sceptical responses because their output does not appear to have an objective status comparable to data captured by observation or experiment. However the simulationists have been defended on grounds that their practices, like those of experimenters, carry with them their own credentials. It has been further argued that epistemic opacity is essential to the nature of computational science and that epistemology of science must cease to be ant…Read more