Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Lateralus · 01-31-2003, 07:39 PM

Can someone please give me a brief explanation of Occam's Razor? I have no idea what it is.

Osiris · 01-31-2003, 07:50 PM

Quote:

One should not increase, beyond what is necessary, the number of entities required to explain anything.

ex-xian · 01-31-2003, 10:42 PM

Variables should not be multiplied beyond necessity.

Defiant Heretic · 01-31-2003, 11:40 PM

When all other things are equal, the simplest solution is usually the correct one.

Primal · 02-01-2003, 05:14 AM

Basically it means you stick to the explanation or viewpoint that makes the least amount of unecessary assumptions.

Why do we have it? Basically because the farther we depart from facts or axioms, the more we increase our chance for error and the more room we give to people to make something up. In short: to prevent people from making stuff up. (Which they could easily do if allowed to embelish in as many assumptions as they can.)

Dyrwen · 02-01-2003, 03:28 PM

Straight out the dictionary. Does this explain it well enough?

Occam's Razor
For example, some claim that God caused himself to exist and also caused the universe to exist - he was the "first cause" - whereas Occam's Razor suggests that if one accepts the possibility of something causing itself then it is better to assume that it was the universe that caused itself rather than God because this explanation involves fewer entities.

The negation of Occam's Razor would suggest that an arbitrarily complex explanation is just as good as the simplest one. (E.g. God and his cat created a robot called Sparky who built the universe from parts bought from a shop in another dimension).

Ronin · 02-01-2003, 11:12 PM

Sorry ~ I'm a nut for visual assists.

Lateralus · 02-02-2003, 10:02 AM

Thanks guys, I realize that was a pretty newbish question.
BTW cool visual Ronin

ex-xian · 02-02-2003, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Thanks guys, I realize that was a pretty newbish question.
BTW cool visual Ronin

No worries. We all learned it once too.

abe smith · 02-04-2003, 06:53 AM

... and of course we are all still learning. Everything.

01-31-2003, 07:39 PM	#1
Lateralus Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: CA Posts: 17	occam's razor Can someone please give me a brief explanation of Occam's Razor? I have no idea what it is.

02-04-2003, 06:53 AM	#10
abe smith Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: springfield, MA. USA Posts: 2,482	and ... and of course we are all still learning. Everything.

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01-31-2003, 10:42 PM	#3
ex-xian Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: :noitacoL Posts: 4,679	Variables should not be multiplied beyond necessity.

01-31-2003, 11:40 PM	#4
Defiant Heretic Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Posts: 1,288	When all other things are equal, the simplest solution is usually the correct one.

02-01-2003, 05:14 AM	#5
Primal Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: San Marcos Posts: 551	Basically it means you stick to the explanation or viewpoint that makes the least amount of unecessary assumptions. Why do we have it? Basically because the farther we depart from facts or axioms, the more we increase our chance for error and the more room we give to people to make something up. In short: to prevent people from making stuff up. (Which they could easily do if allowed to embelish in as many assumptions as they can.)

02-01-2003, 03:28 PM	#6
Dyrwen Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Olympia, WA, U$A Posts: 680	Straight out the dictionary. Does this explain it well enough? Occam's Razor For example, some claim that God caused himself to exist and also caused the universe to exist - he was the "first cause" - whereas Occam's Razor suggests that if one accepts the possibility of something causing itself then it is better to assume that it was the universe that caused itself rather than God because this explanation involves fewer entities. The negation of Occam's Razor would suggest that an arbitrarily complex explanation is just as good as the simplest one. (E.g. God and his cat created a robot called Sparky who built the universe from parts bought from a shop in another dimension).

02-01-2003, 11:12 PM	#7
Ronin Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Mississippi Posts: 5,047	Sorry ~ I'm a nut for visual assists.

02-02-2003, 10:02 AM	#8
Lateralus Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: CA Posts: 17	Thanks guys, I realize that was a pretty newbish question. BTW cool visual Ronin

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