A historical Pachinko machine, a relative of Francis Galton's
Quincunx and the AAKKOZZLL, and the predecessor of the widely popular amusement
in today's Japan. Click here for more info – photo
by Gnsin.
Epstein and Axtell's Sugarscape simulation is just one example of a wide
variety of computer models now being developed on the basis of interactions
between agents governed by given rules rather than on equations defining
global behavior. The idea is to model from the bottom up-seeing behavior
emerge out of interactions among individuals-instead of from the top down-deriving
the behavior of individuals from overarching laws.
What distinguishes the Sugarscape project is its emphasis
on seeing what sorts of socially relevant behavior can emerge from the
collective interaction of individuals following the simplest possible rules. "The
surprise is that we can grow [complex, recognizable behavior] with incredibly
simple rules and simple agents," Epstein says.
From "The gods of sugarscape; digital sex, migration, trade, and war on the social science frontier" (full text online)
