Navigating in the dark

Abstract

This paper introduces the Snap Hook Methodology, a method implicitly used notably in astrochemistry to indirectly validate and assess the accuracy of computational calculations in the absence of experimental or observational data. We argue that this methodology has a tremendous potential as a substitute for traditional verification and validation standards, when those are not accessible and the reliability of numerical predictions difficult to estimate. Our goal is to give to this method a proper formulation, in order for philosophers of science to enter the debate, and to highlight its interesting features in terms of interdisciplinary facilitation and knowledge transmission.