Another way of saying it is that the more assumptions you have to make, the more unlikely an explanation.

What is Occam's Razor simple?

Occam's razor is the principle that, of two explanations that account for all the facts, the simpler one is more likely to be correct. It is applied to a wide range of disciplines, including religion, physics, and medicine.

Why is it called Occam's Razor?

The term "Occam's Razor" comes from a misspelling of the name William of Ockham. Ockham was a brilliant theologian, philosopher, and logician in the medieval period. ... The idea is always to cut out extra unnecessary bits, hence the name "razor." An example will help illustrate this.

Is Occam razor a fallacy?

The Occam's razor fallacy: the simplest solution is not always the correct one. When faced with two equally credible theories, wisdom seems to indicate you should go for the simplest one. Simpler solutions are easier to verify; they're easier to execute.

Is Occam razor always true?

They may be easier to falsify, but still require effort. And that the simpler explanation, although having a higher chance of being correct, is not always true. Occam's razor is not intended to be a substitute for critical thinking. It is merely a tool to help make that thinking more efficient.

What's the opposite of Occam's razor? Hickam's Dictum

Hickam's Dictum The opposite of Occam's Razor. In a complex system, problems usually have more than one cause. For example, in medicine, people can have many diseases at the same time.

What does parsimony mean?

1a : the quality of being careful with money or resources : thrift the necessity of wartime parsimony. b : the quality or state of being stingy The charity was surprised by the parsimony of some larger corporations.

What is an example of parsimony?

Parsimony is defined as extreme frugality or the use of extreme caution in spending money. When you analyze every purchase and are very careful about spending even small amounts of money, this is an example of parsimony. ... Great reluctance to spend money unnecessarily.

What is moral parsimony?

One's morality can be measured in terms of parsimony. ... The variation in parsimony measures how much consideration one would take in making a moral judgement on situations rather than making a broad judgement for everyone, regardless of situation.

What is Occam's broom?

“The molecular biologist Sidney Brenner recently invented a delicious play on Occam's Razor, introducing the new term Occam's Broom, to describe the process in which inconvenient facts are whisked under the rug by intellectually dishonest champions of one theory or another.

What is Ockham's main thesis in nominalism?

In metaphysics, Ockham champions nominalism, the view that universal essences, such as humanity or whiteness, are nothing more than concepts in the mind. He develops an Aristotelian ontology, admitting only individual substances and qualities.

What can be attributed to stupidity?

Hanlon's razor is a saying that reads: Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity. In simpler words: some bad things happen not because of people having bad intentions, but because they did not think it through properly.

What is a logical razor?

A logical razor is a rational principle used to shave off possible but unrealistic or unlikely explanations for a given phenomenon.

What is Newton's flaming laser sword?

Newton's flaming laser sword: A philosophical razor which states that what cannot be settled by experiment is not worth debating.

Why does William of Occam represent an important turning point in the history of psychology?

Occam's Razor is explanations being kept parsimonious (simple) as possible. ...This represents a turning point in the history of psychology because Occam changed the question when it came to the nature of knowledge from a metaphysical problem t a psychological problem.

What did William of Ockham believe?

William of Ockham was a theological voluntarist who believed that if God had wanted to, he could have become incarnate as a donkey or an ox, or even as both a donkey and a man at the same time. He was criticized for this belief by his fellow theologians and philosophers.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_of_Ockham

Merriam-Webster's Occam's Razor

Occam's razor noun 

Oc·​cam's razor | \ ˈä-kəmz-  \

variants: or less commonly Ockham's razor

Definition of Occam's razor

: a scientific and philosophical rule that entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily which is interpreted as requiring that the simplest of competing theories be preferred to the more complex or that explanations of unknown phenomena be sought first in terms of known quantities

Did You Know?

William of Occam (also spelled "Ockham") didn't invent the rule associated with his name. Others had espoused the "keep it simple" concept before that 14th-century philosopher and theologian embraced it, but no one wielded the principle (also known as the law of parsimony) as relentlessly as he did. He used it to counter what he considered the fuzzy logic of his theological contemporaries, and his applications of it inspired 19th-century Scottish philosopher Sir William Hamilton to link Occam with the idea of cutting away extraneous material, giving us the modern name for the principle.

First Known Use of Occam's razor

1852, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for Occam's razor

William of Occam