Is it Ockham or Occam?
In philosophy, a razor is a principle that allows one to eliminate or shave away unlikely explanations to a logical problem, thus avoiding unnecessary considerations.
Occam’s razor, also spelled Ockham’s razor or Ocham’s razor, is a problem-solving principle stating that when presented with competing theories as possible explanations for the same question, and assuming all other considerations are equal, the simplest of those competing explanations is generally the better one and should therefore be preferred over the more complex alternatives.
In Ockham’s own words: “Plurality should not be posited without necessity,” “Entities are not to be multiplied without necessity,” and “It is futile to do with more things that which can be done with fewer.”
The principle is credited to the early 14th-century English Franciscan friar William of Ockham, a philosopher and theologian. It is also known as the Law of Economy or the Law of Parsimony.
When faced with multiple possible explanations, the principle holds that the simplest one is the most likely to be the better one. The fewer steps in a process or variables in an equation, the better.
However, the principle is not a commandment and is not meant to take precedence over sound logic.
The concept was invoked by philosophers and scientists before Ockham, including Aristotle and Maimonides as well as many after him, such as Isaac Newton. However, Ockham referred to it and applied it so frequently that the principle was eventually named after him, centuries after his death.
Applications
Beyond philosophy and religion, Occam’s razor has been applied in science as a heuristic for model development, as well as in other areas of life and business that involve problem-solving and the selection of a single solution from multiple, equally plausible hypotheses.
In physics, Albert Einstein employed the principle of parsimony in formulating his special theory of relativity, famously advising: “Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler.”
Or, as Isaac Newton wrote, “We are to admit no more causes of natural things than such as are both true and sufficient to explain their appearance.”
In mathematics, where each assumption introduces a possibility of error, any assumption that does not improve the explanation is removed, since keeping it would only increase the risk of mistakes.
The principle is also applied in evolutionary biology, psychology, religion, penal theory, and, of course, in probability theory and statistics, fields that some mathematicians argue gave rise to Occam’s razor.
The principle is also applied in medicine. As Dr. Woodward, a Nobel Prize winner in Medicine, advised: “When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras,” a reminder that common causes should be considered before rare ones when forming a diagnosis.
Over the years, some mathematicians have criticized the principle for oversimplification and warned against reducing complexity to the point of inadequacy, arguing that attempting to solve a problem with less than what was required was futile.
While we will leave the mathematical debate to mathematicians, there is room for Occam’s razor in our lives and in our businesses. When faced with multiple, complex, and sometimes risky ways to solve a problem, the simpler path is usually the better one.