Abstract
Publisher Summary Approximation and idealization are two important aspects of scientific knowledge formation. A logical reconstruction of the structure of scientific theories helps understand the role of approximation and idealization within scientific theorizing. The chapter presents the application of such notions as approximate truth, approximate validity, approximate counterpart, approximate deduction, approximate application, approximate explanation, and approximate prediction to idealized scientific laws and theories. The chapter describes quantitative theories, which can be formulated by equations among quantities. The relevant notion of a scientific theory is closely associated with the state space conception, which turns out to be a quantitative variant of an emended Carnapian statement view for qualitative theories. Notion of approximation, used in the chapter, is the standard metric concept from the mathematical theory of approximation. The chapter outlines briefly some of the philosophical issues that are related to-the problems of approximation and idealization.
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