Model-Based Reasoning in Science and Technology: Abduction, Logic, and Computational Discovery (Studies in Computational Intelligence, Band 314)

This volume is a collection of selected papers that were presented at the international conference Model-Based Reasoning in Science and Technology. Abduction, Logic, and Computational Discovery (MBR09 BRAZIL), held at the University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil in December 2009. A previous volume,Model-Based Reasoning in Scienti?c Discovery,edited by L. Magnani, N.J. Nersessian, and P. Thagard (Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York, 1999; Chinese edition, China Science and Techn- ogy Press, Beijing, 2000), was based on the papers presented at the ?rst “model-based reasoning”international conference, held at the University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy in December 1998. Other two volumes were based on the papers presented at the second “model-based reasoning” international c- ference, held at the same place in May 2001: Model-Based Reasoning. Sci- ti?c Discovery, Technological Innovation, Values, edited by L. Magnani and N.J. Nersessian(Kluwer Academic/PlenumPublishers,New York, 2002)and Logical and Computational Aspects of Model-Based Reasoning,editedbyL. Magnani,N.J. Nersessian,and C. Pizzi(KluwerAcademic, Dordrecht,2002). Another volume Model-Based Reasoning in Science and Engineering,edited byL.Magnani(CollegePublications,London,2006),wasbasedonthepapers presentedat the third“model-basedreasoning”internationalconference,held at the same place in December 2004. Finally, volume Model-Based Reasoning inScienceandMedicine,editedbyL.MagnaniandL.Ping(Springer,Heid- berg/Berlin 2006), was based on the papers presented at the fourth“mod- based”reasoning conference, held at Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, P. R. China.

The volume is based on the papers that were presented at the international conference Model-Based Reasoning in Science and Technology (MBR09_BRAZIL), held at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil, December 2009. The presentations given at the conference explored how scientific cognition, but several other kinds as well, use models, abduction, and explanatory reasoning to produce important or creative changes in theories and concepts. Some speakers addressed the problem of model-based reasoning in technology, and stressed the issue of science and technological innovation. The various contributions of the book are written by interdisciplinary researchers who are active in the area of creative reasoning in logic, science, and technology: the most recent results and achievements about the topics above are illustrated in detail in the papers. The book is divided in three parts, which cover the following main areas: part I, abduction, problem solving, and practical reasoning; part II: formal and computational aspects of model based reasoning; part III, models, mental models, representations.