There is a certain ontology in System Dynamics that looks at reality / phenomena as composed of events which we perceive. These events sometimes come in patterns. Over time we can see these recurring patterns of behavior, e.g., the seasons, i.e., summer comes year after year and we know to expect it. These patterns of behavior arise from yet another (deeper) level - structure. Structure is a perspective on what forces, values, geometries, ... are causing the patterns of behavior being seen and the events being experienced. This layered perspective can be described in many ways: 1, 2, 3. Structure is thought of in terms of physical structure, belief systems, organizational values, ... However, if we take a different ontology, ala Conway's Game of Life or Wolfram's New Kind of Science. In this ontology, simple rules generate all the complexity that we perceive. For example, with primates we can hypothesize that there is a simple "alpha" grouping rule. Primates are born with various levels of "alpha"ness. All the group member gather around the one with the highest alpha. Letting this simple rule run over time shows complex behavior such as schismogenesis, wars, hierarchical organizations, .... Taking on this ontology, then structure becomes these rules. The previous notion of structure - belief systems, values, become patterns of behavior arising out of this deeper structure of simple rules.
Came across some papers (1, 2, 3, 4, ) on potential synergies between Systems Dynamics and Agent Based Modeling. Also came across the potential for abductive fallacies in modeling.
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