Jim D wrote, > I think it's important to remember that the phrase "the real world" is > redundant.
I guess this depends on one's epistemology, but I don't want to start any discussion about epistemology. Pen-l seems to have a lot on its plate now. ;>) > Also, isn't it more accurate to say tht math models can clarify one's > thinking about "possible mechanisms and connections" instead of allowing > them to be discovered? The discovery seems to be a > pre-mathematical stage of the analysis. I think that both things can happen but I that sometimes that discovering stuff with a math model can be more interesting than clarifying one's thinking. Having said that, the math work I'm doing now fits into the latter approach (clarifying).. Eric .
