Tarja Knuuttila has been Professor of Philosophy of Science at the University of Vienna since 2018.
Her philosophical interests span scientific modeling, representation, and interdisciplinary relations between scientific disciplines.
Knuuttila has developed an artifactual account of scientific modeling that contributes to our understanding of what makes models epistemically fruitful.
Her work is practice-oriented and focuses primarily on contemporary science and modeling practices, combining philosophical analysis with historical and empirical case studies often in collaboration with practicing scientists or scholars from the history and sociology of science.
Synthetic biology and economics have been major foci of her work.
Knuuttila also works on language technology, engineering sciences, and the commercialization of scientific research.
Coming in 2024:
The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Scientific Modeling
edited by Tarja Knuttila, Natalia Carrillo, & Rami Koskinen
edited by Tarja Knuttila, Natalia Carrillo, & Rami Koskinen
Selected Publications
1. Janssen, Maarten, Tarja Knuuttila and Mary S. Morgan. 2024.
"Insider Apology for Microeconomic Theorising?"
Journal of Economic Methodology. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350178X.2024.2326895
2. Knuuttila, Tarja, and Andrea Loettgers. 2023.
"Model Templates: Transdisciplinary Application and Entanglement." Synthese 201, 6, 200. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-023-04178-3
3. Carrillo, Natalia and Tarja Knuuttila. 2023.
"Mechanisms and the Problem of Abstract Models."
European Journal for Philosophy of Science 13, 27. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13194-023-00530-z
4. Knuuttila, Tarja, and Andrea Loettgers. 2022.
"(Un)Easily Possible Synthetic Biology."
Philosophy of Science 89: 908-917. https://doi.org/10.1017/psa.2022.60
5. Carrillo, Natalia, and Tarja Knuuttila. 2022.
"Holistic Idealization: An Artifactual Standpoint."
Studies in History and Philosophy of Science 91: 49-59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shpsa.2021.10.009
6. Knuuttila, Tarja. 2021.
"Epistemic Artifacts and the Modal Dimension of Modeling."
European Journal for Philosophy of Science 11, 65. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13194-021-00374-5
7. Knuuttila, Tarja, and Andrea Loettgers. 2021.
"Biological Control Variously Materialized: Modeling, Experimentation and Exploration in Multiple Media."
Perspectives on Science 9 (4): 468-492. https://doi.org/10.1162/posc_a_00379
8. Knuuttila, Tarja, and Mary S. Morgan. 2019.
"De-idealization – No Easy Reversals."
Philosophy of Science 86: 641-661. https://doi.org/10.1086/704975
9. Knuuttila, Tarja. 2017.
"Imagination Extended and Embedded: Artifactual and Fictional Accounts of Models."
Synthese 198: 5077-5097. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-017-1545-2
10. Knuuttila, Tarja. 2011.
"Modeling and Representing: An Artefactual Approach."
Studies in History and Philosophy of Science 42: 262–271. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shpsa.2010.11.034
