Speaker
Description
In their textbook „Monte Carlo simulations in statistical physics“ (5th edition 2010), physicists K. Binder and D. W. Heermann claim that computer simulation has emerged as a third branch of physics. This is supposed to question the established dichotomy between experimental and theoretical physics. The aim of this talk to discuss this popular view and to better understand the impact that the method of computer simulation has on physics. I begin with some historical and philosophical reflections about the dichotomy between experimental vs. theoretical and then turn to the epistemology of computer simulations. I argue that simulations do not qualify as experiments, but that they are crucial for the interpretation of some experiments. I then clarify the role of simulations in theoretical research. My conclusion is twofold: On the one hand, computer simulation is a method of its own that requires specific skills and communities. But, on the other hand, it does not form a third pillar that has the same epistemological significance for the aims of physical research as theory and experiment. Throughout my talk, I use examples of computer simulations from particle physics and cosmology.
