Two Types of Structure as Constraints in Mechanistic Modeling
Mechanistic explanation is typically understood as a model-based activity, yet the role of structure in mechanistic modeling remains insufficiently clarified. This paper argues that mechanistic modeling requires two irreducible types of structure, dynamical and hierarchical, and analyzes structure as a constraint on model construction within Frigg’s framework of scientific representation. Dynamical structure captures the temporal organization of mechanisms, whereas hierarchical structure captures their compositional organization, together imposing complementary constraints on the construction of mechanistic models. A case study of the action potential shows that adequate mechanistic explanation requires the coordinated integration of both forms of structure. The paper thereby provides a unified framework integrating mechanistic modeling, mechanistic explanation, and scientific representation through structured model construction.
한국논리학회
전남대학교 김진영
