Viewpoints on modelling: Comments on "Achilles and the tortoise: Some caveats to mathematical modelling in biology"

Abstract

Mathematical modelling has been proven to be useful in understanding some problems from biological science, provided that it is used properly. However, it has also attracted some criticisms as partially presented in a recent opinion article \cite{Gilbert2018} from biological community. This note intends to clarify some confusion and misunderstanding in regard to mathematically modelling by commenting on those critiques raised in \cite{Gilbert2018}, with a hope of initiating some further discussion so that both applied mathematicians and biologist can better use mathematical modelling and better understand the results from modelling.