Since the emergence of key exemplars in the 1990s (Epstein & Axtell 1996; Cederman 1997), social agent simulation as provided a productive method for the social sciences. In intervening years, social modeling has been applied in numerous substantive areas and has generated insights that are striking, and occasionally practical.
In some respects, however, computational methods have yet to fully engage the complexity of the social sciences. Simulation studies have tended toward new applications of existing assumptions and techniques, while examples with strong empirical grounding are susceptible to being overly fitted to the specific case being modeled (cf., Dean, et al., 2000).
Comparison with the way simulation is used in the natural sciences is suggestive. Mature theory provides a basis for extensive analysis, and simulation is then used to confirm and extend those results, and/or explore the patterns generated at higher scales, or that go beyond the scope of existing theories. The implication is that a lack of rigorous social theory places more weight on simulation methods than would normally be the case (cf., Collins 94; Hage 1994).
However, social theory exists, and in copious quantity. It is the right kind of mathematically-‐grounded social theory that is in limited supply. During the growth of CSS there have occasionally been innovations in pertinent areas of mathematical social theory (Chai 2001; Cioffi-Revilla 2002; Axtell 2005; Gintis 2009; Sallach 2000; 2012), however such contributions are as yet embryonic.
The special emphasis that social mathematics must address is a higher level of abstraction that translates across multiple scales. Substantively, this would be characterized as the macro-micro problem. The abstraction is necessary to incorporate the full range of social processes. The translation is necessary for the theoretical insights to be tested in concrete settings. Progress in this type of mathematical social theory can make a fundamental contribution to CSS. Such advances will not arise overnight, of course, but it must be systematically pursued to make the needed progress in CSS.
The prospective authors should submit the paper on-line through EasyChair (see the conference website http://www.aiecon.org/conference/wcss2012/index.htm on "Paper Submission"). When submitting, please choose "The Mathematical Foundations of Computational Social Science" as the topic of interest so that it will be separated from other general submissions. The authors are also expected to send an email to the special session organizer to indicate that they have done so. The paper submission deadline is June 1, 2012, and other schedules are the same as what have been indicated in the conference website.