About

Science is the result of a substantially social process. That is, science relies on many inter-personal processes, including: selection and communication of research findings, discussion of method, checking and judgement of others' research, development of norms of scientific behaviour, organisation of the application of specialist skills/tools, and the organisation of each field (e.g. allocation of funding). An isolated individual, however clever and well resourced, would not produce science as we know it today. Furthermore, science is full of the social phenomena that are observed elsewhere: fashions, concern with status and reputation, group-identification, collective judgements, social norms, competitive and defensive actions, to name a few. Science is centrally important to most societies in the world, not only in technical, military and economic ways, but also in the cultural impacts it has, providing ways of thinking about ourselves, our society and our environment. If we believe the following: simulation is a useful tool for understanding social phenomena, science is substantially a social phenomenon, and it is important to understand how science operates, then it follows that we should be attempting to build simulation models of the social aspects of science.

This SIG is to provide a focus on these issues and enable their exploration though simulation modelling.

The Introduction to the Special Issue of JASSS that explains the topic more is:

Edmonds, Bruce, Gilbert, Nigel, Ahrweiler, Petra and Scharnhorst, Andrea (2011) 'Simulating the Social Processes of Science' Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation 14 (4) 14 <http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/14/4/14.html>.

The other papers in that issue are at: http://jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk/14/4/ (all the papers listed after the introduction above).

There is a Lorentz Centre workshop organised for April 2014.  Details here: http://www.lorentzcenter.nl/lc/web/2014/607/info.php3?wsid=607&venue=Oort

If you want to join, be listed as interested, de-listed, have something to relevant to post, or organise contact the SIG organiser: Bruce Edmonds.