Summary
Robert Axelrod's "The Complexity of Cooperation" argues that agent-based models, using computer simulations to reveal emergent properties of social systems based on interaction rules, can illuminate complex issues of cooperation beyond the basic Prisoner's Dilemma. The book collects seven essays, building on his previous work, to explore how cooperation can emerge and persist even when dealing with challenges like errors in perception or implementation, the development of norms, and the creation of new political actors and shared cultural regions.
This collection serves as an introduction to complexity theory and computer modeling in the social sciences, presenting the state of the art through essays that move beyond simpler models. Readers will learn about the methodology of agent-based modeling and its application to understanding how cooperation functions and evolves in intricate social environments.
Key concepts
- Agent-based modeling — A technique specifying individual interaction rules and using computer simulation to discover emergent social system properties.
- Prisoner's Dilemma — A paradigm used as a starting point for studying cooperation and its complexities.
- Errors in perception or implementation — Challenges to cooperation that are analyzed within the agent-based modeling framework.
- Emergent properties — Characteristics of a social system that arise from the interactions of its individual components.
From the book
Title: Complexity of Cooperation : Agent-Based Models of Competition and Collaboration, the by Robert Axelrod
Description: Robert Axelrod is widely known for his groundbreaking work in game theory and complexity theory. He is a leader in applying computer modeling to social science problems. His book The Evolution of Cooperation has been hailed as a seminal contribution and has been translated into eight languages since its initial publication. The Complexity of Cooperation is a sequel to that landmark book. It collects seven essays, originally published in a broad range of journals, and adds an extensive new introduction to the collection, along with new prefaces to each essay and a useful new appendix of additional resources. Written in Axelrod's acclaimed, accessible style, this collection serves as an introductory text on complexity theory and computer modeling in the social sciences and as…
Snippet: Like his ideas, his prose is clear and engaging. His delight as he unveils each surprising discovery is infectious. This book is not merely important; it's fun."--Robert D. Putnam, author of Making Democracy Work