Re: Category Theory and Rosen - some clarifications (i hope 8-))

[Paul Johnson]

I'm glad to read this and i've got Rosen on my list of things to learn
more about.

I've got to say that your comment about simulation misses the point, at
least as far as I can see in political science.  We can formalize models,
but there are no deductions because of their complexity. You can write
some utility function for each of N people, you can specify how much
information they have, how their behaviors affect each other.  The
question is whether there are any meaningful deductions--comparative
statics or dynamics--and the model does not beget such generalizations
without imagining its performance in simulation, under a broad number of
initial conditions, for example. 

Hence, the simulation is a "hypothesis generating" experience, where our
beliefs about the effects of parameters on variables can be investigated. 

This is especially important where we want to understand the relative
importance of individual traits and system-level structures (called
political insitutions).  In data, the effects of culture and
institutions are confounded.  In a simulation, you can fix the
institutional setting or the cultural setting to "mix and match" to find
out about various effects.  Since they won't let me redesign the federal
government every few years, simulation is the only real way to theorize
about the effect of changes in constitutions/procedures/rules.

Paul Johnson


On Wed, 15 Oct 1997, glen e. p. ropella wrote:

> Sure, simulation is *the* tool; but, it's inadequate.  Scientific
> theory is about compression.  The idea that alife models *must* be
> simulated in order to be studied runs against the grain of any decent
> theorist.  It's as bad as saying, "you won't know whether or not this
> number is computable until your turing machine actually stops."
> [yuck]  Simulation is a stepping stone that we must have to provide
> us with enough data about these systems to abstract to the higher
> formalization.
> 
> glen
> p.s. Speaking of the mailing list... [grin] ... we've gone a bit
> astray.  I wonder, now, if this is the appropriate place for this
> discussion.  Any opinions besides mine and Chris'?
> -- 
> {glen e. p. ropella <address@hidden> |  Send lawyers, guns, and money!  }
> {Hive Drone, SFI Swarm Project         |            Hail Eris!            }
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> 
> 
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