Explanation by Simulation
Jorge Fernandez
Brown University
My purpose in this essay is to examine the legitimacy of explanations by
simulation in cognitive science. First, I shall argue that there are two
possible ways to understand the notion of simulation, depending on how you
understand the relation that holds between a system that performs a cognitive
task by processing some information, and the program involved in processing
it. Next, I shall point out that the kind explanation by simulation that
you obtain is radically different in each case. Then, I will suggest that
some important issues regarding, respectively, the individuation of system
states and the “internal representation” of programs must be addressed prior
to the use of simulation in any kind of explanation. My intention, by highlighting
the price that we must pay to use explanations by simulation, is not to promote
skepticism but to clarify the role that simulation can legitimately play
in cognitive science.