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Ockham's razor |
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Ockham's razorMethodological principle of parsimony in scientific explanation. Traditionally attributed to William of Ockham, the principle prescribes that entities are not to be multiplied beyond necessity. In practice, this means that if a phenomenon can be explained without assuming the existence of an entity, then philosophers and scientists should not assume the entity's existence. The history of science provides many examples of the principle's application (e.g., the rejection by scientists of the hypothesis of a luminiferous ether in response to Albert Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity). See also materialism. How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
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Surely Ockham's razor can be usefully invoked in a case such as this. [Editor's note: Occam's or Ockham's Razor is a principle attributed to the 14th century logician William of Ockham: Of two competing theories or explanations, all other things being equal, the simpler one is to be preferred. One can only wish that the author had made a judicious use of Ockham's razor. |
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