Emergence in Agent-Based Computational Social Science: Conceptual, Formal, and Diagrammatic Analysis

Abstract

This chapter provides a critical survey of emergence definitions both from a conceptual and formal standpoint. The notions of downward/backward causation and weak/strong emergence are specially discussed for application to complex social system with cognitive agents. Particular attention is devoted to the formal definitions introduced by Müller (2004) and Bonabeau and Dessalles (1997), which are operative in multi-agent frameworks and make sense from both cognitive and social point of view. A diagrammatic 4-Quadrant approach allows us to understand complex phenomena along both interior/exterior and individual/collective dimensions.