Beware the tail that wags the dog: informal and formal models in biology
Year: 2014
Type: article
Abstract: Informal models have always been used in biology to guide thinking and devise experiments. In recent years, formal mathematical models have also been widely introduced. It is sometimes suggested that formal models are inherently superior to informal ones and that biology should develop along the lines of physics or economics by replacing the latter with the former. Here I suggest to the contrary that progress in biology requires a better integration of the formal with the informal.
Source: Molecular Biology of the Cell
Author: Jeremy Gunawardena
Institution: Harvard University
Language: English
Subfield: History and Philosophy of Science
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2147125253