How simulations fail

被引:20
|
作者
Grim, Patrick [1 ]
Rosenberger, Robert [2 ]
Rosenfeld, Adam [1 ]
Anderson, Brian [1 ]
Eason, Robb E. [3 ]
机构
[1] SUNY Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY 11794 USA
[2] Georgia Inst Technol, Atlanta, GA 30332 USA
[3] Emerson Coll, Boston, MA 02116 USA
关键词
Computer simulation; Game theory; Model; Simulation; Scientific methodology; COMPUTER-SIMULATIONS; GREATER GENEROSITY; EVOLUTION; MODELS;
D O I
10.1007/s11229-011-9976-7
中图分类号
N09 [自然科学史]; B [哲学、宗教];
学科分类号
01 ; 0101 ; 010108 ; 060207 ; 060305 ; 0712 ;
摘要
'The problem with simulations is that they are doomed to succeed.' So runs a common criticism of simulations-that they can be used to 'prove' anything and are thus of little or no scientific value. While this particular objection represents a minority view, especially among those who work with simulations in a scientific context, it raises a difficult question: what standards should we use to differentiate a simulation that fails from one that succeeds? In this paper we build on a structural analysis of simulation developed in previous work to provide an evaluative account of the variety of ways in which simulations do fail. We expand the structural analysis in terms of the relationship between a simulation and its real-world target emphasizing the important role of aspects intended to correspond and also those specifically intended not to correspond to reality. The result is an outline both of the ways in which simulations can fail and the scientific importance of those various forms of failure.
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页码:2367 / 2390
页数:24
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