The sciences do not try to explain, they hardly even try to interpret, they mainly make models. By a model is meant a mathematical construct which, with the addition of some verbal interpretations, describes observed phenomena. The justification of such a mathematical construct is solely and precisely that it is expected to work.
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"It is not at all certain that the mathematical method is appropriate for the description of the world."
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Science's real job isn't to explain why things happen or uncover ultimate truths — it's to build mathematical models that accurately predict observed phenomena. A model earns its place solely by working, by matching what we see. This is scientific instrumentalism: predictive power trumps philosophical truth. It strips away metaphysical pretense and grounds science in pure functional utility — if the math fits reality, that is justification enough.
Von Neumann spent his career building mathematical constructs that worked: game theory modeled strategic decisions without claiming to explain human nature; his 1932 quantum mechanics formalism described atomic behavior without asserting what atoms 'really are'; the von Neumann architecture modeled computation; his implosion lens calculations for the Manhattan Project modeled physics to devastating effect. He was the era's supreme model-builder, consistently valuing mathematical utility over philosophical depth.
The mid-20th century saw fierce debate about what science actually does. Quantum mechanics — which von Neumann helped formalize in the 1930s — produced models of stunning accuracy while remaining philosophically opaque: no one agreed on what the wavefunction meant. Einstein demanded deeper explanations; Bohr said predictions were enough. Von Neumann sided with the pragmatists. Wartime science — radar, atomic weapons — further proved that working models mattered far more than comprehension.
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