Occam's razor? Which is simpler, religion or science?

Question

"All things being equal, the simplest solution tends to be the best one."

To avoid further splitting-hairs comments here is further explanation of the razor.

"entities should not be multiplied beyond necessity"

I used the colloquial usage of the razor since this is a public forum. Sorry to all you pseudo-academics out there.

Answer 1

"Simpler" to William of Ockham meant "requiring the fewest unjustified assumptions.

Science is detailed and complicated, yes, but it is to be preferred over religion because it does not require belief in fairies and gods and demons and such (for which we have NO evidence), and also the scientific theories are supported by evidence. Religious holdouts have to account for how God could have created the world in six days only 6000 years ago while making it look like things evolved over billions of years.


Thus Occam's Razor is fatal to religion.



Edit: I love it when silly people call me a "pseudo-academic." How many papers have you published, kiddo? Not as many as I have, I'm sure.

Answer 2

Well, I'd say science is simpler--what you see is what you get. But both religion andscience are valid--in their proper place. Its when you try to make one do the job of the other that you run into trouble.

BTW--that's NOT Occam's Razor, but a common misstatement of the principle. Correctly stated, its is "do not add unnecessary elements to an explanation." Emphasis on the word "unnecessary." The idea is NOT that " the simplest explanation is best." Its that you shouldn't overcomplicate things.

Answer 3

Well, science can explain how everything is a result of matter obeying very simple natural forces, all of which can be demonstrated. But they come eventually to a universe which "just is", and can not offer an explanation why.

The Abrahamic religions have all of the universe come into being by a god, though they can not explain how he does that, and various features are the results of his moods and thought processes, which are equally inscrutable. And finally, they come eventually to a god who "just is", and can offer no explanation why.

They both have a limit to what they can explain, but science is far simpler and more direct about what it can explain, does not add unverifiable elements, and has the force of evidence behind it.

Answer 4

Let's go to the original:
"entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem,”
which translates to:
“entities should not be multiplied beyond necessity."

Science rarely introduces an entity that isn't observed. Even critical exceptions like Einstein's cosmological constant, or the neutrino which was used to conserve energy in beta decay observation, are regarded with skepticism until demonstrated. (The neutrino has been observed.)

Religion has numerous elements not based in observation. Those elements tend to increase in numbers over time. God, Satan, angels, the Trinity.

Science is simpler.

Answer 5

Religion is a broad term - much that is considered religious falls within nature.

Also, science isn't the antithesis of religion. Science is a tool to be used to understand the natural world, and the conclusions you arrive at through science aren't necessarily non-religious.

The hypno pope asks, "which is simpler, the moon or the apple tree."
I think that that's a decent analogy to your question. I ask, "Which is more valid, the chisel or the stone?"

You can't change the essence of the stone, only the shape of it as you view it. Science is just the chisel that chips away fallacy.

Answer 6

Simpler how? Most religion teaches denial and ignorance in the face whomever the god may be. So religion could be simpler in the fact that it would try to eliminate free will and the ability to think for one's self.
Science encourages you to study things to gain an understanding of how they work. This could be your own perception of what's simple. I feel it is much simpler as far as science used as the explanation because it lets me come to reasonable conclusions.
Supernatural just means to a scientist that he hasn't figured it out yet and he'll keep trying till he does.

I like to know what makes things happen.

Answer 7

Science is much simpler because it leaves far fewer gaps.

Religion leaves so many gaps that it explains virtually nothing, leaving its believers to acts of random double think to cover the gaps and explain away the ludicrous inconsistencies.

Answer 8

I'm sorry, that is a misuse of the razor. It's like asking, which is simpler, the moon or the apple tree.

Answer 9

You over simplify. With religion you live in an imaginary world, science must be supported by fact.

Answer 10

Ockham's razor actually says not to unnecessarily add premises. Religion adds the unnecessary premise that God created the world. Therefore, according to Ockham's razor, we ought to reject religion. (Or at least reject the creation premise)