What do you want theory for? - A pragmatic analysis of the roles of "theory" in agent-based modelling
What do you want theory for? - A pragmatic analysis of the roles of "theory" in agent-based modelling
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DOI：
10.1016/j.envsoft.2023.105802
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发表时间：
2023-10
期刊：
影响因子：
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通讯作者：
Patrycja Antosz;Daniel Birks;B. Edmonds;A. Heppenstall;R. Meyer;J. Gareth Polhill;D. O'Sullivan;Nanda Wijermans
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文献类型：
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作者：
Patrycja Antosz;Daniel Birks;B. Edmonds;A. Heppenstall;R. Meyer;J. Gareth Polhill;D. O'Sullivan;Nanda Wijermans
关于基于主体的建模（ABM）和理论，特别是ABM如何促进理论构建，已经有了一些讨论。然而，人们对它们之间的不同联系方式感到困惑，也有人怀疑，如果有了ABM，是否还需要理论。本文区分了三个重要的ABM期刊：《环境建模与软件》、《计算机》、《环境与城市系统》和《人工社会与社会模拟》上ABM论文中使用“理论”一词的一些不同方式。除了简单地将理论与数学等同起来之外，我们还区分了理论与ABM之间的九种不同联系方式。这种分析是基于“理论”概念背后的一些期望和哲学背景。这篇论文总结了理论和ABM可以更好地协同工作的一些方法，以及一些可能的前进方向，并建议一种更谨慎的泛化方法可能更合适。
There has been some discussion about agent-based modelling (ABM) and theory, particularly how ABM might facilitate theory building. However, there is confusion about the different ways they could relate and some scepticism as to whether theory is needed if one has an ABM. This paper distinguishes some of the different ways that the term “theory” is used in ABM papers in three important ABM journals:Environmental Modelling & Software,Computers, Environment and Urban Systemsand theJournal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation. Apart from the simple-minded identification of theory with mathematics, we distinguish nine different ways that theory and ABM relate. This analysis is situated with respect to some of the expectations and philosophical background behind the idea of “theory”. The paper concludes with some ways in which theory and ABM could work better together, some possible ways forward and suggests that a more cautious approach to generalisation might be more appropriate.