Hermeneutics of social simulations*
Sascha Dickel, Martin Neumann · 2023
This chapter connects two widely divergent methodological worlds. We propose to use the procedure of hermeneutic sequence analysis to interpret agent-based models. Its goal is the technology-based construction of scenarios in which specific social constellations are acted out. The concrete simulation model we use as an example refers to escalations of violence within criminal networks. The simulation results are formulated as narrative scenarios, which are here subjected to an exemplary sequence analysis. Thus, we demonstrate that hermeneutic sequence analysis can be used for structure generalization and validation of agent-based models. Based on this, we propose a digital hermeneutics that combines social simulation with the dimension of social meaning.