Artificial intelligence: scientific reasoning, computational models

Computational models of scientific reasoning in Artificial Intelligence have successfully shown that the nature of scientific discovery can be rationally explained without appealing to notions of serendipity or to some mysterious abilities of geniuses. Such models are computer programs that either make genuine new discoveries or simulate discoveries from the history of science. This research has yielded insights into the nature of human scientific reasoning and raises some interesting questions about the nature of scientific discovery itself. Such issues include the fundamental role of different problem solving representations used by scientists and the necessary forms and varieties of tasks that constitute the scientific enterprise.