Antosz, P., Birks, D., Edmonds, B., Heppenstall, A., Meyer, R. Polhill, J.G., O’Sullivan, D., & Wijermans (2023) What do you want theory for? – A pragmatic analysis of the roles of “theory” in agent-based modelling. Environmental Modelling & Software, 168, 105802. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2023.105802
Highlights
- A brief review of some of the expectations and philosophical background concerning the role of “theory”.
- An analysis of nine different roles of “theory” can play with respect to Agent-Based Modelling (ABM).
- Pointing out that some of the hopes for theory-building using ABM have yet to be realised so more development is needed.
- Suggesting that rhetoric about theory generation should adopt a less ambitious approach to generalisation.
- Some possible ways forward.
Abstract
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 Systems and the Journal 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.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364815223001883