Okham's Razor

[Geoff332]

This is a useful introduction. For those who haven't run across it before, Okham's Razor is an epistemic principle that states if you have to chose from competing theories, chose the simplest theory that explains the evidence.

Of course, it then says that 'simplest' is in the eyes of the beholder, and it's an imperfect tool. But it still does a nice job of destroying many weak theories that unnecessarily over-complicate things.

[Jay]

I have not heard of it before but it sure sounds interesting. And I guess it can really help you phrase out and make up your own philosophies. It's like making basic principles or guidelines you can then stick to without running into more complication.

But on the other hand the whole process of simply disagreeing or not accepting any thought that goes further than your perfectly diamond-shaped principle denies the thought of progress and anything new from its roots which easily leads to ignorance.

[Geoff332]

The principle says that one should accept the simplest solution that explains the readily available data. It's basically saying, don't over complicate things. When used well, it's a useful rule of thumb; when used badly, it's limiting, as you say.

[hello_caleb]

its expained in the book, "Contact" by Carl Sagan.

[Geoff332]

Carl Sagan has (had) a gift for getting some complex ideas into fairly simple terms.

[GreatWyrm of Babylon]

Hated hearing it when he died...

[The Iconoclast]

The first time I heard the term was in Speaker for the Dead (Orson Scott Card).

I think that it's a very interesting concept, but can work against the detective in some cases.

I mean, if theres some sort of natural disaster or flood or such, I can see how this concept could be put to use, but in the case of human incidents, the effectiveness, I think, would be diminished. For one, I think a smart criminal would overcomplicate his plan in order to escape the "razer" (thats what I WOULD do...)

But thats my opinion...

[Geoff332]

It's not a hard and fast law, but a general rule of thumb (more technically, an epistemic principle) used as a guide to knowledge development.

[Section 8]

Occam's razor is also a principle theory in nihilism.

Have Fun
Shalom

[samsara15]

Read up on Occam...from the Internet..it's not at all as simple as it is posed to be. Many people seem to have many interpretations of what his ideas meant. Usually happens if you die and have been dead a while.. people re-interpret what you said and muck it up entirely. We can only guess what he (Occam) originally meant.

[Starboy]

Quote by: Geoff332 This is a useful introduction. For those who haven't run across it before, Okham's Razor is an epistemic principle that states if you have to chose from competing theories, chose the simplest theory that explains the evidence. Of course, it then says that 'simplest' is in the eyes of the beholder, and it's an imperfect tool. But it still does a nice job of destroying many weak theories that unnecessarily over-complicate things.

In the scientific context it has never destroyed any theory. In science there is only one way to do that. And that is experiment on nature. Magical philosophical incantations such as Ockham's razor are for arm chair realists (AKA philosophers). Actual realists try not to make presumptions about reality such as it must be simple. That is a hope of many but so far reality doesn't look simple at all.

Starboy

[Samildanach]

Thank god for that can you imagine what things would be like if reality was simple. People would go to war from boredom alone.

[carlessbiker]

Heard about it on X-Files (The Movie)