Occam’s razor tells us that we shouldn’t get sucked into a whirlpool of paranoia after scrolling through WebMD. But there are plenty of examples in our everyday lives too. This principle is popular among skeptics, a group of people inclined to keep an open mind and believe only what we can sense or what can be proven scientifically. Also, ‘simplicity’ is often subject to heavy debate, so you and I might come to different conclusions when faced with a decision between the same 2 hypotheses. It doesn’t prove or disprove, it simply leads you down the path that’s most likely to be correct. Remember, however, that Occam’s razor is a heuristic, a rule of thumb, to suggest which hypothesis is most likely to be true. Underdetermination says that for any theory in science there will always be at least one other rival theory that could conceivably be correct, so the scientific method uses Occam’s razor in order to circumvent this issue and choose a working hypothesis. Some argue that the scientific method was built upon the principles of Occam’s razor. A statement that includes many ‘ifs’ should trigger mental alarm bells: you should consider Occam’s razor and investigate it further. Namesake William of Occam said the best explanation of any phenomenon is the one that makes the fewest assumptions. Essentially, when faced with competing explanations for the same phenomenon, the simplest is likely the correct one. If Occam’s razor brings to mind images of stubbled gentlemen and shaving cream, you’re not actually that far off! Occam’s razor (also known as the ‘law of parsimony’) is a philosophical tool for ‘shaving off’ unlikely explanations. What is Occam’s razor? Definition and explanation

Arkms razor