Towards a new approach in social simulations:Meta-language

Abstract

In this paper we will present a framework for bridging micro to macro emergence macro-to-micro social causation and the dialectic between emergence and social causation. We undertake a cultural approach for modeling communication and symbolic interaction between agents as the key element of connecting these three aspects. A cultural approach entails modeling cognitive agents who are not only capable of representing knowledge but also able to generate meanings through their experiential activities. We offer a meta-language approach allowing dynamic meaning generation during the interactions of the agents. This framework is implemented to a social simulation model. There are four important implications of the model: First model shows a dynamic setup where agents can generate and elaborate multiplicity of meanings. Second it exemplifies how individual mental models can interact with each other and evolve. Third we see that a thickly coherent cultural background is not necessary for the emergence of embedded social networks a thin coherence such as opposition maps would be sufficient to observe their dynamic formation. Fourth exchange of meanings through successful sense-making practices generates a social anchoring process. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.