Complexity in the humanities and the humanities in complexity

In this paper, we discuss the relationship between agent-based modeling (ABM) and humanistic complexity, a relationship that is often overlooked in most ABM research as it is commonly practiced. However, when we situate ABM within a broader intellectual context, we find that it is gradually moving toward, or uncovering, its humanistic dimension of complexity. In this article, we draw on the respective “ turns ” in the philosophy of science and the history of science to articulate this intellectual context, and from this perspective we can discern the driving forces behind the shift from equation-based modeling (EBM) to ABM. Put more poetically, ABM enables scientists to confront what might be called the unbearable lightness of science , a challenge that this paper refers to as the return of weight . From the vantage point of this “return of weight,” we revisit key milestones in ABM and the burdens it currently struggles to bear. We argue that if ABM is to shoulder even greater weight, its next step must inevitably engage with the consilience of science and the humanities as advocated by Edward Wilson. Yet to achieve this, a breakthrough in computational power is required. Today's revolution in computing provides precisely such an opportunity, enabling ABM to carry greater humanistic weight and thereby enhance the realism of simulation.