Robert Axelrod is widely known for his groundbreaking work in game theory and complexity theory. He is a leader in applying computer modeling to social science problems. His book The Evolution of Cooperation has been hailed as a seminal contribution and has been translated into eight languages since its initial publication. The Complexity of Cooperation is a sequel to that landmark book. It collects seven essays, originally published in a broad range of journals, and adds an extensive new introduction to the collection, along with new prefaces to each essay and a useful new appendix of additional resources. Written in Axelrod's acclaimed, accessible style, this collection serves as an introductory text on complexity theory and computer modeling in the social sciences and as an overview of the current state of the art in the field. The articles move beyond the basic paradigm of the Prisoner's Dilemma to study a rich set of issues, including how to cope with errors in perception or implementation, how norms emerge, and how new political actors and regions of shared culture can develop. They use the shared methodology of agent-based modeling, a powerful technique that specifies the rules of interaction between individuals and uses computer simulation to discover emergent properties of the social system. The Complexity of Cooperation is essential reading for all social scientists who are interested in issues of cooperation and complexity

作者简介

罗伯特·阿克塞尔罗德：密歇根大学政治学与公共政策教授，美国科学院院士，著名的行为分析及博弈专家，主要由于他在博弈论和复杂性理论上的基础性突破而广为人知。阿克塞尔罗德是把计算机模型运用到社会科学问题领域的权威学者。作者受到过来自美国科学促进会、美国政治科学协会、麦克阿瑟基金会以及美国国家科学院的奖励。除本书外，还著有《合作的进化》等著作。