Bilimsel İdealizasyonlar

Belirli türden soyutlamalar, idealleştirmeler, bilinçli ihmaller, izolasyonlar bilim pratiğinde sıklıkla kullanılır. Kütle noktası, sürtünmesiz yüzey, hava boşluğu, ideal gaz, sonsuz büyük popülasyonlar, ölümsüz insanlar, tam rekabet, tam bilgili ekonomik bireyler, sıfır taşıma maliyeti, rasyonel bireyler vb. varsayımlara doğa bilimlerinde ve sosyal bilimler sıkılıkla başvurulur. Bu tür varsayımların ortak noktası belirli türden eksiklikler, mükemmelleştirmeler, çarpıtmalar ve benzeri özellikler içermesi ve bu anlamda araştırılan fenomenler ile ilgili ‘idealizasyonlar’ olarak iş görmeleridir. Bilimin temel amaçlarından ikisinin açıklama verme ve öndeyi türetimi olduğu düşünüldüğünde, idealizasyonlar şu soruyu beraberinde getirir: Eksiklikler, yanlışlıklar, bilinçli çarpıtmalar ve benzerlerini içeren varsayımlar olarak idealizasyonlar dünyayı açıklama, anlama ve onunla ilgili öndeyi türetiminde ve politika belirlemede nasıl iş görür? Bu soruyu yanıtlamanın yollarından birisi bahsi geçen epistemik stratejilerinin bilim ve bilim felsefesi literatüründe yer alma biçimlerini, yani onların sınıflandırılmalarını, benzerlik ve farklılıklarını analiz etmektir. Dolayısıyla bu makalede görece daha çok tartışılmış olan belli başlı idealizasyon türlerini analiz ederek bu konu bağlamında görece sınırlı kalmış olan Türkçe literatüre katkı vermeyi amaçlıyorum.

Scientific Idealizations

Certain kinds of abstractions, idealizastions, deliberate omissions, isolations are applied in scientific practice. Mass points, frictionless plane, vacuum, ideal gas, infinitely large populations, immortal humans, perfect competition, perfectly informed agents, zero transaction costs etc. put forward constantly in natural and social sciences. What is common to these kinds of assumpions is that they all include some sort of omissions, perfections, distortions. Given that explanation and prediction are the amongst the main purposes of the scientific practice these assumptions raise the following question: How assumptions that involves omissions, perfections, distortions take roles in providing explanations and predictions and policy making? One way to answer this question is to analyze and classify the types and classifications of these ideallizastions as an epistemic strategy. Accordingly, analyzing some well discussed types of idealizastions in this survey paper my aim is to contribute the related literature in Turkish which seems to take a relatively limited part.

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