2006-12-09 17:28:14 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
That's Occam's Razor.
It is often called the law of parsimony. In essense, it says, "All things being equal, the simplest solution tends to be the best one."
In basic terms, this means that the simplest explanation that accounts for all the data is optimal.
See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occam%27s_razor
2006-12-09 17:29:16 · answer #1 · answered by Jerry P 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
A modern equivalent of ***Occam's Razor is:
CUT THE CRAP!
In other words, choose the explanation that rests on the fewest basic assumptions.
Live long and prosper.
*** P.S. William of Ockham came from the small English village of Ockham, through which I have cycled and driven. His name is spelled in a whole variety of ways. A website, below, says that Ockham died in Munich, a victim of the Black Death, and that his name, spelled Occam, lives on in the names of streets and restaurants in Munich. (Quite possibly, Occam was the original Latin spelling of both his village and his name in the 13th and 14th centuries.)
2006-12-10 01:41:49 · answer #2 · answered by Dr Spock 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It means you can spend a lot of time searching for very complex answers to questions, but in the end, most of time the solution is the simplest one.
2006-12-10 01:30:47 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is Occam's Razor.
The simplest solution is the most likely.
2006-12-10 01:36:02 · answer #4 · answered by zen 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋