>The theory of epicycles is not an explanatory model because it does not explain why the planets should move in circular orbits with epicyclical sub-orbits. Kepler's laws are explanatory because they explain planetary motion as a result of Newton's law of universal gravitation, are predictive because they can be used to predict the motion of the planets and are explainable because anyone can plug in the numbers and see how the results are calculated.
That's not a qualitative difference, it's a quantitative difference. Here you somewhat implicitly claim that models of lower Kolmogorov complexity for same, or better, accuracy are better, but how is that 'explanatory'? The term has no meaning. Ironically Kepler's laws are a better equivalent of epicycles, because they reduce to an imperfect approximation of Newtonian mechanics. Predicting actual orbits in a Newtonian Solar system of perfectly spherical objects with fully known matter distribution can only be done with an iterative solution.
The actual, physical reality continuously diverges from all current models, and all we can try to achieve is to reduce that error. It can't ever be eliminated unless the universe is in fact a simulation, and whatever is controlling it decides to copy humans into the parent world, then gives them external access to the full underlying state.
That's not a qualitative difference, it's a quantitative difference. Here you somewhat implicitly claim that models of lower Kolmogorov complexity for same, or better, accuracy are better, but how is that 'explanatory'? The term has no meaning. Ironically Kepler's laws are a better equivalent of epicycles, because they reduce to an imperfect approximation of Newtonian mechanics. Predicting actual orbits in a Newtonian Solar system of perfectly spherical objects with fully known matter distribution can only be done with an iterative solution.
The actual, physical reality continuously diverges from all current models, and all we can try to achieve is to reduce that error. It can't ever be eliminated unless the universe is in fact a simulation, and whatever is controlling it decides to copy humans into the parent world, then gives them external access to the full underlying state.