Values and Norms In Modeling (VaNiM 2012)

It is widely acknowledged that a large variety of values and norms (including epistemic, moral, and political values and norms) play an important role in modeling. Although the literature about value-free science is huge, the specific theme of values and norms exclusively focusing on modeling has not yet received the attention it should. Models are often conceived of as being approximate representations with epistemic or even non-epistemic purposes, which makes them subject to a plethora of normative influences. We are interested in questions such as: How do epistemic and non-epistemic values affect the production and assessment of models? What is the moral significance of these values and norms? To what extent, if any, does the allowance of value assessments threaten the objectivity of models? Would it be desirable, and possible, to eliminate epistemic or non-epistemic values and norms from models?