Modelology — the new Science, Life and Practice Discipline Bernhard THALHEIM 1 Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Christian-Albrechts-Platz 4, 24118 Kiel, Germany Abstract. Every object and every idea can be used as a model in an application scenario, if it becomes useful in the scenario as an instrument in a function. Through this use and function, an object or idea becomes a model, at least for a certain or long time for the respective model user in its context and environment. Models are works of art of thinking and acting. They come in the most diverse forms: small ingenious, ever-present, medium-sized or even elabo- rate ones of imposing size and full of hidden secrets. Quiet ones, animated by a flash of inspiration. Groundbreaking and revolutionary. Methodically overwhelmingly sophisticated ones that stand on the shoulders of giants. Simple ones that are so well put together that everyone likes them and understands them and cannot refuse them. Modelology is a novel discipline that handles model development and us- age in a systematic and well-founded way. We introduce the central kernels of this new science, art, and culture. Keywords. model-based reasoning, plausible reasoning, approximative reasoning, abduction, induction, explanation, hypotheses, empiric 1. Models — Almost Everywhere, At Any Time and For Many Things Models are a universal instrument of human thought, human presentation, hu- man activity, and socialising interaction. They reduce complexity, are less com- plicated, allow concentration on the essential and often work many times better than the complicated world surrounding us thus is difficult to understand and to comprehend. They are simply universal and allow us, on the one hand, to react quickly and, on the other hand, to process in depth. Models accompany the design of solutions, constructions and projects. It is claimed that logic is the most essential part of the culture of thought. Logic includes not only the rigid canonical mathematical logic in Bauhaus style, the syllogistic spinning in Aristotle style, various logics of discourses, human logics for daily life, and the logic inherent in applications. In thinking, models are the accompanying and sufficiently simple instruments – even more so profound ones – of thought also for the step-by-step development of thinking. Models use, as a result of modeling, a vivid and dependable presentation in a well-formed design to open up what is being considered in a way that 1 bernhard.thalheim@email.uni-kiel.de Information Modelling and Knowledge Bases XXXV IOS Press Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence and Applications 380, pp. 1--19 https://ebooks.iospress.nl/bookseries/