Generative Social Science: Studies in Agent-Based Computational Modeling

by Joshua M. Epstein

Agent-based computational modeling is changing the face of social science. 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. Beautifully illustrated, Generative Social Science includes a CD that contains animated movies of core model runs, and programs allowing users to easily change assumptions and explore models, making it an invaluable text for courses in modeling at all levels.

Genres: Sociology, Social Science, Research

379 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good ref for ABMs... especially applied to social sciences.
I had good fun reading this, although it's quite serious since it's about defending the relevance of ABM as tools of science production, in the sense that they can be considered as laboratories. ABM in fact can be, according to the author, efficient instruments in the generative explanation of macroscopic social structures (emergent phenomena etc...).
"Agents are “lazy statisticians,” if you will." => "When in Rome, do as the (majority of) Romans do, with the (adaptive) radius determining the “city limits."
The exampleofhe Ansazi
If you can't grow it, then you can't explain it.

[Marco · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting overview of the possibilities opened by the use of agent-based computer simulations as a tool of social science inquiry. While the author champions epistemic views that, as exemplified by his "generativist motto", can be a bit simplistic, the book still presents strong arguments for further studies along the lines of study opened by Epstein and Axtell's "Growing Artificial Societies".
(It'd be outside the scope of the book, but Epstein's defense of generativism has interesting connections with Vico's views on science and History.)

[Michael Weaver · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives great illustrations on the use of ABS to grow or identify rules associated with behaviors and how they interact and transform into group behaviors. Epstein also gives clarity on cogent meta dialogues of what multiagent models are, what they are not and the how as well as the why. Anyone who is interested in understanding how agent models may be used to help explore the dynamics of social dynamical systems really should read this book.