For generative social science, Agent_Zero presents a groundbreaking vision and the tools to realize it. In Generative Social Science, Joshua Epstein argues that this powerful, novel technique permits the social sciences to meet a fundamentally new standard of explanation, in which one “grows” the phenomenon of interest in an artificial society of interacting agents: heterogeneous, boundedly rational actors, represented as … The agent-based model is recognized as the principal scientific instrument of generative social science, the (necessity) motto of which is, “if you didn’t grow it, you didn’t explain it.” In other words, given an unexplained observed macroscopic social pattern—a wealth distribution, a disease time series, a spatial segregation pattern—we seek a micro-to-macro account. The power of simple rules of local social interaction in generating explanations of complex social behavior is beautifully illustrated, most notably in the study of population fluctuations in Anasazi societies. "Generative Social Science is an outstanding example of an exciting paradigm shift in the analysis of dynamic social systems. This collection of his papers exemplifies both the depth of his methodological positions and the fruitfulness of agent-based analysis. The relation of generative social science to deduction is more subtle. The central argument and its illustrative applications present conceptual and methodological innovations that clearly have enormous potential. Please check your email for further instructions.Something went wrong.
I am convinced that agent-based approaches to economics will become a major tool. The page on Models in Social Science explains a number of serious methodological difficulties for analysis of social interactions, as described by Joshua Epstein and Robert Axtell. In Generative Social Science, Joshua Epstein argues that this powerful, novel technique permits the social sciences to meet a fundamentally new standard of explanation, in which one “grows” the phenomenon of interest in an artificial society of interacting agents: heterogeneous, boundedly rational actors, represented as mathematical or software objects.After elaborating this notion of generative explanation in a pair of overarching foundational chapters, Epstein illustrates it with examples chosen from such far-flung fields as archaeology, civil conflict, the evolution of norms, epidemiology, retirement economics, spatial games, and organizational adaptation.In elegant chapter preludes, he explains how these widely diverse modeling studies support his sweeping case for generative explanation.This book represents a powerful consolidation of Epstein’s interdisciplinary research activities in the decade since the publication of his and Robert Axtell’s landmark volume, Growing Artificial Societies.Thanks for subscribing! Experience with the 'artificial Anasazi' shows that confronting a computer model with reality yields conclusions about the questions that interest any archaeologist: why populations increased, why people moved, why their settlements varied in size, and why their society finally disappeared. Joshua Epstein is a virtuoso at using simple models to reveal surprising insights about the dynamics of a wide range of phenomena such as epidemics, status hierarchies, civil violence, and even the timing of retirement." The connection is of particular interest be-cause there is an intellectual tradition in which we account an observation as explained precisely when we can deduce the proposition expressing that observation from other, more general, propositions.
I will discuss … Joshua Epstein, a pioneer of this approach, provides in "Epstein is a central and outstandingly creative figure in the emerging social science literature developed through agent-based simulation studies. In Generative Social Science, Joshua Epstein argues that this powerful, novel technique permits the social sciences to meet a fundamentally new standard of explanation, in which one "grows" the phenomenon of interest in an artificial society of interacting agents: heterogeneous, boundedly rational actors, represented as mathematical or software objects. "—Duncan K. Foley, New School for Social Research"The contents are important, and until now have appeared in scattered and sometimes obscure places. An interesting overview of the possibilities opened by the use of agent-based computer simulations as a tool of social science inquiry. Agent-based computational modeling is changing the face of social science. Epstein offers an undogmatic, balanced account of his project and methods and shows in what specific ways they can open up whole broad questions that are simply unapproachable with traditional methods. In Generative Social Science, Joshua Epstein argues that this powerful, novel technique permits the social sciences to meet a fundamentally new standard of explanation, in which one “grows” the phenomenon of interest in an artificial society of interacting agents: heterogeneous, boundedly rational actors, represented as …
I am convinced that agent-based approaches to economics will become a major tool. The page on Models in Social Science explains a number of serious methodological difficulties for analysis of social interactions, as described by Joshua Epstein and Robert Axtell. In Generative Social Science, Joshua Epstein argues that this powerful, novel technique permits the social sciences to meet a fundamentally new standard of explanation, in which one “grows” the phenomenon of interest in an artificial society of interacting agents: heterogeneous, boundedly rational actors, represented as mathematical or software objects.After elaborating this notion of generative explanation in a pair of overarching foundational chapters, Epstein illustrates it with examples chosen from such far-flung fields as archaeology, civil conflict, the evolution of norms, epidemiology, retirement economics, spatial games, and organizational adaptation.In elegant chapter preludes, he explains how these widely diverse modeling studies support his sweeping case for generative explanation.This book represents a powerful consolidation of Epstein’s interdisciplinary research activities in the decade since the publication of his and Robert Axtell’s landmark volume, Growing Artificial Societies.Thanks for subscribing! Experience with the 'artificial Anasazi' shows that confronting a computer model with reality yields conclusions about the questions that interest any archaeologist: why populations increased, why people moved, why their settlements varied in size, and why their society finally disappeared. Joshua Epstein is a virtuoso at using simple models to reveal surprising insights about the dynamics of a wide range of phenomena such as epidemics, status hierarchies, civil violence, and even the timing of retirement." The connection is of particular interest be-cause there is an intellectual tradition in which we account an observation as explained precisely when we can deduce the proposition expressing that observation from other, more general, propositions.
I will discuss … Joshua Epstein, a pioneer of this approach, provides in "Epstein is a central and outstandingly creative figure in the emerging social science literature developed through agent-based simulation studies. In Generative Social Science, Joshua Epstein argues that this powerful, novel technique permits the social sciences to meet a fundamentally new standard of explanation, in which one "grows" the phenomenon of interest in an artificial society of interacting agents: heterogeneous, boundedly rational actors, represented as mathematical or software objects. "—Duncan K. Foley, New School for Social Research"The contents are important, and until now have appeared in scattered and sometimes obscure places. An interesting overview of the possibilities opened by the use of agent-based computer simulations as a tool of social science inquiry. Agent-based computational modeling is changing the face of social science. Epstein offers an undogmatic, balanced account of his project and methods and shows in what specific ways they can open up whole broad questions that are simply unapproachable with traditional methods. In Generative Social Science, Joshua Epstein argues that this powerful, novel technique permits the social sciences to meet a fundamentally new standard of explanation, in which one “grows” the phenomenon of interest in an artificial society of interacting agents: heterogeneous, boundedly rational actors, represented as …