ABSTRACT
Can falsehoods produce understanding? The answer from science appears to be yes: many explanatory models contain idealizations, that is, deliberate falsifications that are generally considered not to harm and even to help their users to understand why certain phenomena occur. Working with a particular view of the explanatory role of idealization and a particular view of understanding, this chapter attempts to explain how deliberate falsehoods play a part in helping scientists to better understand the workings of the world.
