Abstract
We study the joint evolution of worldviews by proposing a model of opinion dynamics, which is inspired in notions from evolutionary ecology. Agents update their opinion on a specific issue based on their propensity to change -- asserted by the social neighbours -- weighted by their mutual similarity on other issues. Agents are, therefore, more influenced by neighbours with similar worldviews (set of opinions on various issues), resulting in a complex co-evolution of each opinion. Simulations show that the worldview evolution exhibits events of intermittent polarization when the social network is scale-free. This, in turn, trigger extreme crashes and surges in the popularity of various opinions. Using the proposed model, we highlight the role of network structure, bounded rationality of agents, and the role of key influential agents in causing polarization and intermittent reformation of worldviews on scale-free networks.
Highlights
We study worldview dynamics motivated by the ideas from evolutionary ecology
We proposed a stochastic model for the dynamics and coevolution of the worldview of agents that participate in a social network
The observed dynamics of opinions shows an intermittent behavior with sudden changes related to worldview transitions
Summary
Weltanschauung, usually translated from German as “worldview,” is a concept popularized by the philosopher G.W.F. Opposing worldviews can coexist and even reinforce each other, forming a fragile but persistent balance This phenomenon, known as political polarization, can lock worldview dynamics until the balance is abruptly disturbed, under events that may be seen very unexpected to external observers [5]. It is tempting to dismiss abrupt changes in worldviews of societies as rare and inexplicable events, just as the spread of the Black Plague [6] in the 14th century or the Spanish flu [7] of the 20th century On this point, it is interesting to note how the development of epidemiology changed our views on such subjects by enabling the prediction of sudden spreads of diseases [8].
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