Occams Razor
The Best Explanation Has The Fewest Assumptions
What is Occams Razor?
Occams razor is credited to William of Ockham, a 14th-century Franciscan friar, theologian and philosopher.
In philosophical debate a razor is an abductive rule of thumb or heuristic that infers that unlikely predictions, or explanations, are to be "shaved off" on balance of probability.
It is also referred to as a law of parsimony which is a principle that says that: ‘Entities should not be multiplied without necessity.’ (In Latin, Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem.)
However, it seems that William of Ockham never actually said this in any of his writings!
In plain modern english, Occams razor, or the law of parsimony, means that:
The best explanation is the one that requires you to make the fewest possible assumptions about what's involved.
- It is important to note that the razor is only applied to competing hypothesis about the same prediction.
- Occams razor will select the solution with the fewest assumptions.
- Simpler hypotheses are preferable to more complex ones because they are more testable.
- Occams razor is not meant to be a way of selecting hypotheses that make different predictions.
- It can not be used as to establish an irrefutable principle of logic,
- It can not be used to confirm the truth of a situation.
- It is definitely not to be considered as a scientific proof.
- It does not prescribe oversimplification, if a more complex theory is available that better explains the
facts, then the more complex theory should be preferred.
- It is a mental model to be used as a part of a toolbox or portfolio of thinking skills for making initial conclusions before the full scope of information can be obtained.
Exceptions To Occams Razor
There are exceptions to every rule:
- Simplicity alone is not enough. A conclusion must be backed by empirical evidence.
- Blind faith is not enough, no mental model shoudl be relied on when it is contradicted by logic, experience, or empirical evidence.
- We must be aware of falling prey to cognitive biases.
- Because the world is far more complicated than any of us can conceive, thus sometimes the simplest model just isn’t the correct one.
Praise For Occams Razor
Albert Einstein
“It can scarcely be denied that the supreme goal of all theory is to make the irreducible basic elements as simple and as few as possible without having to surrender the adequate representation of a single datum of experience.”
“Everything should be made as simple as
possible, but not simpler.”
Stephen Hawking
"We could still imagine that there is a set of laws that determines events completely for some supernatural being, who could observe the present state of the universe without disturbing it. However, such models of the universe are not of much interest to us mortals. It seems better to employ the principle known as Occam’s razor and cut out all the features of the theory that cannot be observed."
Isaac Newton
"We are to admit no more causes of natural things than such as are both true and sufficient to explain their appearances.”
Applying Occams Razor
Return to: How To Think
LATEST ARTICLES
And So This Is Christmas
There Is No Path To Peace - The Path Is Peace Thich Nhat Hanh, the renowned Vietnamese Zen Buddhist monk, teacher, and peace activist, often spoke about peace as a state of being that begins within on…Curiosity Skilled The Cat - Optimize For Interesting
Curiosity Fuels Excellence The old adage, “Curiosity killed the cat,” warns of the dangers of venturing too far into the unknown. But what if we reimagine it not as a risk but as a gateway to developi…Let Stillness Speak - Living Within A Complex System
To let stlllness speak is to learn it's first major lesson: you are not your thoughts. To let stillness speak is about stepping back from the constant chatter of your mind and allowing a deeper, quiet…Understanding Complex Systems Thinking - It's Not Complicated
Understanding, and being able to work with, complexity is an important thinking skill.
We are all working with complex systems, and we do so every day. The biggest one is life itself. We automaticall…Stay On The Bus - When To Keep On Going
The Helsinki Bus Station Theory
Have you ever started a new project, initiative or role with a big vision and a determination to make a difference? Initially you were full of enthusiasm and highly mo…Zen Thoughts Email Series
Conversations With A Friend Zen Thoughts is an email series of 50 short messages spread over 3 months. The messages are written in the style of a conversation with a friend who is going through a toug…How to Get What You Value by Changing What You Measure
Give Up Control & Gain Influence To Get What You Want
The metrics we choose to focus on can significantly shape our outcomes, sometimes in ways we don't intend. The challenge is to make sure that you…How to Become A Master At Overcoming Hard Moments
"The best in the world are not the best because they win every point. It's because they lose again and again and have learned how to deal with it." This quote from Roger Federer has got a lot of cover…Drop The Story - Deal With Your Demons and Transform Your Experience
Are you living your life from the stories you tell yourself? Learning how to drop the story and deal with that voice in your head can be a game changer. When you can do this you will have a powerful t…Standing In The Gap Between No Longer And Not Yet
Standing In The Gap In Conditions Of Imposed Change. This is about imposed change and surviving a dire and desperate situation where you are stuck in a difficult or seemingly impossible set of circums…Preparing The Ground - For Things You Can Not See
We plough the fields and scatter the good seed on the ground. The phrase "preparing the ground" is a metaphor for making the necessary preparations to create the favourable conditions for something to…Easing The Weight Of Expectation
Don’t you often feel like you are carrying the weight of the world on your back? Our start point is understanding that the ego has a very clear idea of how things ought to be, and its intention and ex…Coram Deo - Living In Consciousness
In you there is a dimension of consciousness far deeper than thought. It is the very essence of who you are. Coram Deo is about living in consciousness. It is a Latin phrase which literally means “to…The Power Of Patience - Why You Need The World's Toughest Quality
Nothing in the world can take the place of patience. Patience and persistence are omnipotent. In everyday life, patience is often overshadowed by the desire for immediate results. We live in an era of…Demonizing The Other and Personal Acts Of Compassion
What Does Demonizing The Other Mean? Demonizing the other refers to the act of portraying a group of people or an individual as inherently evil, threatening, or inferior. It often serves to justify di…