6/23/2023 0 Comments William of ockham quotes![]() Occam's razor should be a guide and not a rule. In addition, it is difficult to pare away information without risk of throwing out something crucial to the theory. Quote of the day Computing is not about computers any more. William of Ockham Summa logicae (The Sum of All Logic), Part I, chapter 12. Frustra fit per plura, quod fieri potest per pauciora. It is vain to do with more what can be done with less. Both hypotheses fitted the observed data, and only the Michelson-Morley experiment swung opinion towards Special Relativity. William of Ockham quote: It is vain to do with more what. ![]() For example, it may not always be possible to determine which of a number of conflicting theories is correct, without the benefit of hindsight.Īt the turn of the century, Einstein's supporters, and believers in ether, could not have known the simplest theory for the nature of light. There are some criticisms of Occam's razor. For example, Ptolemy's epicycles were replaced by a simpler theory, which explained the data without multiplying elements. Occam's razor is often at the root of paradigm shift, where an established theory is replaced by a simpler alternative that also fits the data. This is not the same as saying that it is proved, only that it is best to investigate the simplest theory first. Therefore, using Occam's razor, the NASA argument should be regarded as correct. The conspiracy line of reasoning contains too many suppositions: "If this happened, then this may have happened." Too many 'ifs' is a sign that a statement needs 'Occamizing' and clarifying. ![]() Their justification relies upon many twisted and convoluted theories, whereas the NASA argument is fairly straightforward. Many conspiracy theorists believe that the first Moon Landing was staged and filmed in a studio, part of an elaborate hoax. One famous example of Occam's razor in action is found in conspiracy theories surrounding the NASA moon landings. Science often works in a process of leaps, so even if the first option is proved wrong, the next one may achieve results. Put it this way, if a research foundation is giving out money for research is it going to go for the complex and expensive research program, or the cheaper and most likely explanation? In fact, the more complex hypothesis prediction may be the correct one. It is a 'heuristic maxim,' commonly known as a rule of thumb, guiding research down the easiest course. Occam's razor is not part of the reasoning process, as such, because it makes no definition of the relative strength of a theory. If you have a few hypotheses that could explain an observation, it is usually best to start with the simplest one. In science, it is getting rid of all the assumptions that make no difference to the predictions of the hypothesis. Occam's razor is the process of paring down information to make finding the truth easier. Researchers should avoid 'stacking' information to prove a theory if a simpler explanation fits the observations. The 'correct' interpretation is that entities should not be multiplied needlessly. Occam's razor is more commonly described as 'the simplest answer is most often correct,' although this is an oversimplification. "No spoilers please, would I like the show if."Įpisode previews, IMDb information and other future information count as spoilers and needs to be spoiler tagged in comments (unless the submission specifically concerns such information).Whilst it is likely that the philosophy was posthumously attributed to him, as it was based upon common medieval philosophy, it seems to be a result of his minimalist lifestyle. If your submission's content concerns a spoiler, click on the "spoiler button" beneath your post after you submit it.Įxpect unmarked spoilers for the latest officially aired episode in any submission or comments section, unless the title specifically says otherwise, e.g. No spoilers in submission titles are allowed, such as saying a character died. Replace only the text, do not add any spaces on the sides. Episode Discussions Season 3 - The New World You can read the guide by which we moderate here.
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