Social systems are almost invariably complex and thus amenable to

some of the techniques developed by physicists and mathematicians for

the analysis of complex systems. However, they are not the same as

complex physical systems, and the differences are important. In this

talk, I shall compare the two, identify the features that make social

systems special, and consider the implications of the differences. This

will lead me on to discuss some of the challenges that have to be faced

in modelling social systems, especially using agent-based models, and

to review the potential for this style of research.

Nigel Gilbert is Professor of Sociology and Director of the Centre for

Research in Social Simulation at the University of Surrey, Guildford,

United Kingdom. His research interests include innovation, agent-based

modelling and research methods. He is the author of

Social Scientist (with Klaus G. Troitzsch), (2005) Open University Press,

and Agent Based Models (2007) Sage, and editor of the recently

published four volume set, Computational Social Science (2010) Sage.