3 ms·
All models are wrong, some are useful.
by carlsborg 8y ago
All models are wrong, some are useful.
- feanaro 8y agoNot all models are wrong, since some may be modelling exactly the aspects of importance and not modelling exactly those which are incidental and of no consequence.
- joesb 8y agoThen they are still wrong. It's just that they are wrong in the part that you don't care about.
- feanaro 8y agoIs it wrong, or is it simply an instance of the fact that a model is not the thing it models? The use of the word wrong sounds wrong to me here. The wrongness should be about whether the model accurately, or just approximately, or not at all, shares with the modelled object that part of the behaviour we are interested in.
- danmaz74 8y agoThe point is that no model of a complex real world phenomenon is ever perfect, so, you shouldn't try to create a perfect model. But not being perfect doesn't mean that a model can't be useful; among all the possible "wrong" models, you need to identify the one(s) which is useful, ie, which models well the aspects of importance to you.
- feanaro 8y agoI realize all that. I'm questioning the wisdom of the standard manoeuvre of preemptively calling all models imperfect or wrong, though.
- danmaz74 8y agoNot everybody realises all that, so I suppose the OP cited that quote to reinforce the point that ANN are a very useful, but very imperfect model of the brain. I cite it often enough, but usually it's in person, where I can see the reaction of the person I'm talking with, and explain if necessary.
- Rainymood 8y agoAll models are wrong. The map is not the territory. We are arguing semantics now. The point you're trying to argue is that a model is "right" in the sense that it models whatever we wanted it to model. We argue that a model is "right" if it captures the "true" nature, which it will never be able to do (because of its virtue of being a model) and hence all models are wrong. Semantics. Unless you disagree of course.