2018/01/01 by Patrick Sahle, Sahle, Patrick
Decision Sciences · Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · #Earth Systems and Cosmic Evolution #Sustainability and Climate Change Governance #Word and meaning #demographic modeling and climate adaptation #kinds of models #phenomenology
paper · doi:10.12759/hsr.suppl.31.2018.183-192
openalex publication_date 2018/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
"Model", at first sight, is a non-academic word with a wide circulation in a variety of conversational and non-technical written discourses. In, but also beyond that it is used in different situations, in different fields, by different disciplines. It changes its meaning in these respective contexts. But how far? If there remains a common conceptual core, we would learn a lot about the essence of the notion of model as a widely shared concept. If it turns out that the usage of the word makes model a homonym with completely distinct meanings, we have to sharply distinguish who is using it in which context. To further research these questions, we need to observe where and how we encounter models in our daily and scholarly life.