How Much of a Model Is Imbued in That Model?

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It depends what it is that you're trying to model. And if you're making a model of tomorrow's weather or the flip of a coin or the next roll of a dice or something, actually, it doesn't matter who the modeler is. The value judgments don't really come into it because you're pinned back to the data. Some things obviously take a lot longer for those observations to pan out and there isn't very much data in some cases. In those situations where we're thinking about complex systems, maybe chaotic systems, social systems, any system where humans and human interactions are going to be different,. Then those become much more difficult. I think those are the ones where we

On this episode, Dr. Erica Thompson joins Nate to unpack her recent book Escape From Model Land. Erica explores the pitfalls of conventional science models and the opportunities by which models can augment our imagination and collective understanding. What is a model, and how do our worldviews shape the way they’re made - and conversely, how do they shape our worldviews? How can we rethink and bring creativity into something as scientific as modeling to create maps of the future that are both more accurate and - most importantly - more helpful to planning responses?

About Eric Thompson:

Dr Erica Thompson is a Senior Policy Fellow at the LSE Data Science Institute, where she works on a broad programme of theoretical and practical research about mathematical models, their use, interpretation and social context. She recently authored Escape From Model Land (Basic Books, 2022) which explores the opportunities and challenges of augmenting our imagination about the future with mathematical tools.

For Show Notes and More visit https://www.thegreatsimplification.com/episode/55-erica-thompson