14. 1. 2026
16.45 - 18.15
Seminarraum VI (Theologie) | Karl-Rahner-Platz 3, 1. Stock
In my talk, I will demonstrate that a certain type of computational model — known as 'agent-based models' — is well suited to understanding many of the effects and problems of contemporary public discourse. Agent-based models are characterised by the fact that individuals form their basic building blocks. There are a number of prominent agent-based models of opinion formation. I will start with the so-called bounded-confidence model. In this model, agents only consider the opinions of others if the opinions are not too far away from their own opinion. Simple extensions of the basic model enable us to analyse phenomena such as polarisation and radicalisation, as well as the challenges and chances of getting to the truth in an era of systematic disinformation. From a philosophy of science perspective, I will discuss the question of how models that idealize as radically as the ones I present can contribute to a better understanding of the world.
Rainer Hegselmann (born in 1950) studied philosophy, sociology, and political sciences at Bochum University. He received his doctorate at the University of Essen (today: University of Duisburg-Essen) and habilitated in philosophy at the University of Karlsruhe (today: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, KIT). After professorships at the Universities of Bremen and Bayreuth, he became senior professor at the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management. Hegselmann initiated the Philosophy & Economics degree program in Bayreuth, which he then directed from 2000 onwards. From 2010 to 2015, he was also director of the Bayreuth Research Center for Modelling and Simulation of Socioeconomic Phenomena (MODUS). He was a fellow at various advanced study institutions, including the Netherlands Institute For Advances Studies (NIAS), the Center for Interdisciplinary Research (ZIF, Bielefeld University), and the Alfred Krupp Wissenschaftskolleg (Greifswald).