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The Epistemologies of Social Simulation Research

  • Conference paper
Epistemological Aspects of Computer Simulation in the Social Sciences (EPOS 2006)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNAI,volume 5466))

Abstract

What is the best method for doing simulation research? This has been the basis of a continuing debate within the social science research community. Resolving it is important if the community is to demonstrate clearly that simulation is an effective method for research in the social sciences. In this paper, we tackle the question from a historical and philosophical perspective. We argue that the debate within social simulation has many connections with the debates that have echoed down the years within the wider social science community about the character of social science knowledge and the appropriate epistemological and methodological assumptions on which social science research should rest.

An earlier version of this chapter was presented under title, ‘Kiss and tell: in praise of abstraction? Starbucks or Café Florian’ to the workshop on Epistemological Perspectives on Simulation - II, held in Brescia, Italy on October 25-26, 2006. We are indebted to the participants at the workshop, and especially Flaminio Squazzoni, for their good company, their wise comments and their hospitality. This chapter is a sequel to a paper, ‘Caffè Nero: the Evaluation of Social Simulation’, presented at the first EPOS workshop and subsequently published as Ahrweiler and Gilbert (2005).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CRESS - Centre for Research in Social Simulation, University of Surrey, UK

    Nigel Gilbert

  2. Innovation Policy Unit, National Institute of Technology Management, University College Dublin, Ireland

    Petra Ahrweiler

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  1. Nigel Gilbert
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  2. Petra Ahrweiler
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Sciences, University of Brescia, San Faustino 74/b, 25122, Brescia, Italy

    Flaminio Squazzoni

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Gilbert, N., Ahrweiler, P. (2009). The Epistemologies of Social Simulation Research. In: Squazzoni, F. (eds) Epistemological Aspects of Computer Simulation in the Social Sciences. EPOS 2006. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 5466. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-01109-2_2

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