Climate Models Are a Combination of Black Boxes and Systems Dynamic Models

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Danella Meadows famously distinguished between black box modeling where a human gives an input to a computer model and outcomes and answer. She said systems dynamics improve our intuition and understanding, kind of like what you were just saying about the climate system versus the climate model. So our modern climate models are a combination of these two. They both spit out an answer and they improve our understanding of what's going on in the physical world or have they become so complex with so many inputs?

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