Agent-based models of scientific interaction

Abstract

The paper examines recent developments in agent-based modeling of scientific inquiry with a special focus on network epistemology. It provides a survey of different types of ABMs studying network effects in scientific inquiry: ABMs based on bandit problems, ABMs based on epistemic landscapes and ABMs based on argumentative dynamics. It further presents models that study the impact of biased and deceptive researchers on the success of collective inquiry. The paper concludes with a discussion on the contribution of ABMs to the broader field of philosophy of science given their highly idealized nature.