کاربرد تکنیک های شبیه سازی در علوم اجتماعی (یک بررسی انتقادی)

Abstract

Social simulation includes a set of techniques and tools for modeling social phenomena in such a way that testing and doing artificial experiments are possible. Modern computational and programming tools have made it possible for social researchers along with other disciplines, to open new perspective in sociology, both in theory and method. Although technical development in computational tools has a short history, but need for social simulation can be traced to first decades of previous century. In a typology, techniques of social simulation are in five categories: system dynamics, queuing models, microsimulaiton, cellular automata, and agent-based modeling. These five could be put in two categories: process based techniques (the first two) and agent-based techniques (the last three). It seems that among all of these techniques, agent-based modeling can satisfy some of most important considerations of social researchers. Considerations like agent heterogeneity, interaction, leraning, agent-environment interaction and emergence of macro patterns from micro actions. Although social simulation in general, and agent-based modeling in particular are in their first years of maturity, and some of important critics are unanswered but it seems that potentially they can add new and efficient views to the sociology.