Scientific Representation: An Inferentialist-Expressivist Manifesto

This essay presents a fully inferentialist-expressivist account of scientific representation. In general, inferentialist approaches to representation argue that the capacity model represent target system depends on inferences from models systems (surrogative inference). Inferentialism is attractive because it makes epistemic function central their representational capacity. Prior representation, however, have depended some element, such as denotation or force. Brandom’s Making It Explicit provides how discharge vocabulary, but cannot be applied directly representations. Pursuing strategy parallel Brandom’s, this begins with an surrogative inference justified. Scientific and elements are then explained in terms by treating expressive, analogous truth. The result thoroughgoing inferentialism: M T if only has scientifically justified consequences answers questions about T.