“Water at sea level reached 100 °C; water at sea level boils at 100 °C; therefore this water boils.”
Philosophy of science
for economists, scientists,
and decision-makers.
Hello, I'm Filikon
Two rooms are open today — manipulable models and causality — along with the Entry Hall, where every visit begins. Room III and nine more are taking shape behind their doors. I can show you the map and controls in under a minute, or you can dive straight in.
Guided Tour
Welcome! Click Next to begin.
DN-LAB · ROOM II PODIUM
You are the lab auditor. Three case files probe Hempel's deductive-nomological model. Earn findings; assemble a verdict.
CASE FILE #1
DN says: derive the explanandum from laws + initial conditions and you have explained it. Both candidate arguments below are valid DN derivations. Are both genuine explanations?
👇 Click both directions to compare the two derivations.
DN Derivation
✅ Feels right. The pole causes the shadow — of course.
Curator’s Desk
The museum is in early preview. Your impressions, confusions, and suggestions shape what the next rooms look like.
Your note has reached the curator’s desk. Filikon will read it personally.
About the Museum
Economic models are among the most consequential intellectual tools in modern public life. They shape markets, inform policy, and structure the institutions that govern everyday decisions. Whether they do so well or badly depends less on their technical sophistication than on how they are used — what they are asked to represent, and what is allowed to remain outside the frame. This museum is built around that question. Its purpose is to give visitors the conceptual vocabulary and practical tools needed to engage with economic models critically, neither deferring to authority nor dismissing what formal reasoning genuinely achieves. The museum takes no side in the disputes between schools of economic thought and pursues no policy agenda: its commitment is to the quality of reasoning, not to any particular conclusion.
An economic model is always a selective representation of reality. To read one critically is to hold two questions simultaneously: what does this model make visible, and with what precision? A practiced reader does not ask whether the model is "right" or "wrong" but what it is capable of showing — and what it is not. The museum builds this habit through close engagement with real models across different domains and contexts.
Every model operates by abstracting away from complexity. Some abstractions are legitimate simplifications; others suppress phenomena that are central to the question being asked. The museum introduces a small set of tools — drawn from the methodology of science — for identifying which kind of exclusion is which. Visitors leave knowing how to ask: is what this model ignores genuinely irrelevant, or is it doing silent, consequential work?
A model can be technically valid and still be misused — applied beyond its domain, stripped of its caveats, or presented as decisive when it is only suggestive. The museum illustrates both patterns: cases where models were deployed with appropriate care and explicit acknowledgement of limits, and cases where they were not. Visitors learn to recognise the difference, and to demand it from others.
The museum draws on the practice of philosophy of science, which has developed a rich body of tools for analysing the structure, scope, and limits of scientific models. Rather than attempting a comprehensive survey of that literature, the museum works with a curated subset — the tools that travel most usefully across the range of economic modelling and remain accessible to non-specialists. Exhibits feature both exemplary cases, where models were used with discipline and acknowledged scope, and cautionary cases, where their limits were ignored or obscured.
The museum was conceived and built by an academic researcher working at the intersection of economic theory and the philosophy of science. The curator holds a PhD in economics and has spent several years teaching economic methodology at university level. The museum reflects an ongoing commitment to making rigorous methodological thinking genuinely accessible outside specialised academic settings.
The museum is a living project. If you have questions, spot an error, or would like to contribute an exhibit, a case study, or a teaching resource, the curator welcomes the conversation — use the feedback form below or write directly via the Impressum.
For questions, corrections, or collaboration enquiries, use the . Legal information and contact details are in the Impressum.
Philosophy of science
for economists, scientists,
and decision-makers.
Museum of Economic Models
Scroll or pinch to zoom · drag to pan · double-click to reset. Room titles will be updated as the exhibition develops.