Occam's razor is a term referring to philosophical idea or scientific principle, the essence of which is to determine the most probable and simple explanation among the multitude of possible theories. The method or rule of Occam's Razor states: The best explanation is the simplest. Simply put, Occam's razor claims that the most simple theory is most often the best, assuming that nature uses the simplest means to achieve the goal.
In simple terms, Occam's Razor is way to find the simplest and most logical explanation for what is happening. A classic example is "if you hear the sound of hooves, it's more likely to be horses, not zebras." The bottom line is that if you are not in Africa or a zoo where zebras can live, then most likely it is ordinary horses that make the sound of hooves.
It should be noted that the principle of Occam's Razor does not seek or guarantee to provide an absolutely correct solution or explanation. Its task, as already written above, is to find the simplest possible answer to the question of why the event occurred. That is why this principle cannot always be applied to solve problems in certain areas, such as religion or exact science.
Why is Occam's Razor called a razor?
The answer to this question is very obvious. The thing is that this principle is designed to cut off complex solutions like a razor.
Occam's razor, examples.
- Event: There is a thunderstorm outside and you saw a bright flash through the curtain. Explanation options: A) A photographer climbed into your window and takes pictures with a flash. B) Lightning. Most likely explanation- the answer is "B".
- Event: Your home is next to a busy highway and you hear a lot of noise and vibration. Explanation options: a) A bomb was dropped near your house. b) A heavy truck passed by. Most likely explanation- the answer is "B".
- Event: You have a dog and when you return home you see scattered garbage. Explanation options: A) The dog in your absence knocked over a bucket and scattered garbage. B) An outsider entered your home and deliberately scattered garbage from the bin. Most likely explanation- the answer is "A".
Origin of Occam's Razor.
This concept was named after the Franciscan friar William of Ockham, who lived in the 14th century. Of course, Occam is not the inventor of this principle, but it was he who took and often used this technique to assess ongoing events. Some of his contemporaries noted that cutting down to the simplest answer is not always the best solution. Modern scientists have also suggested that nature, very often, rejects simplicity, sometimes coming up with incredible difficult ways achieving simple goals, such as fertilizing a flower.
Application of Occam's Razor.
Many people use Occam's Razor to eliminate competing theories when one suggests an additional entity and the other does not. For example, at some point, the field of physics suggested the existence of a certain "ether" that was supposed to explain the existence of the universe. The existence of this ether could not be proved, and when Einstein proposed his Theory of Relativity, the topic of the possible existence of this substance was discarded. The fact is that Einstein's theory was much simpler and more logical, and also did not contain the presence of various ghostly hypothetical entities. In this case, the principle of Occam's Razor really turned out to be true. But it is worth understanding that each situation is individual, and not always the simplest solution is the right one.
Occam's Razor is a methodological principle used in various fields of science, philosophy, and literature. In another way, this is the principle of the blade, which, cutting off all unnecessary, leaves the simplest decisions, assumptions, and hypotheses that turn out to be correct.
Principle of Occam's Razor
Franciscan monk and part-time philosopher William of Ockham, who lived in the XIV century. He was famous among his compatriots for his ability to win philosophical disputes. William has always adhered to simplicity in his statements and thinking, in the perception of the world around him. The philosopher concluded his main fundamental thesis in the words: "Variety should not be assumed unnecessarily." Occam was not the founder of what is now called Occam's razor (blade), he only continued the line of thought of Aristotle, who claimed that "nature always follows a short path."
Occam's Razor - in simple terms, this principle can be interpreted as follows:
- new entities should not be attracted, without a sufficient basis for them;
- if there are several logical and consistent explanations for a phenomenon, the simplest of them should be considered correct.
Occam's Razor in Philosophy
Wilhelm Leibniz, a scientist and philosopher of the New Age, applied the rule of Occam's razor in his research, he expanded the understanding of this principle and deduced a logical chain:
- There is a certain process or object, or connections between objects, so there must be facts (reasons) why this is so.
- What logical consistent information or evidence is available to explain the process? If they are complex, try to simplify, see if there is a reason for Occam's razor. If there are no grounds, then simple statements will be the most true.
Occam's Razor in Economics
The law of "Occam's razor" in economics sounds like the principle of economy or frugality, and involves the economical use of natural and material resources. Unfortunately, one can observe the opposite picture in many countries, when there is thoughtless use for the purpose of capital gain. If the principle of Occam's razor were in service, humanity would not so soon face the consequences of overproduction of goods and environmental disasters.
The Occam's Razor method in business helps to see development prospects as a whole, without getting hung up on trifles, and helps to make the right decision, effectively negotiate cooperation, guided by the following recommendations:
- When there are several solutions and when it is necessary to choose between them, a non-confusing solution should be preferred.
- When persuading potential partners to be inclined to cooperate, use the most understandable, simple and convincing arguments.
Occam's razor in literature
In the scientific field, the application of the principle has justified itself, but what about literary works when variety and originality are needed, otherwise the reader will get bored already on the first pages. Such a genre of literature as science fiction constantly violates the method of Occam's razor, but this is always for the benefit of progress, it has not been a secret for a long time that various spacecraft and household appliances described and invented by science fiction writers, household appliances that once seemed just science fiction have become real.
Another genre of literature is detective. Fans of detective stories about Sherlock Holmes and William of Baskerville can watch how detectives simplify tasks, narrow the circle of suspects, calculate all the moves, cutting off the excess. The work of the same name "Occam's Razor" - the book by A. Levenbrueck continues the traditions of the detective genre and tells about the analyst Ari Mackenzie investigating the murder of his father's friend. The "blade" principle helps the protagonist find the key to solving the crime.
What is Occam's razor in relation to medicine? The modern medical reference book on diseases has about 2000 different types diseases, every day this list is supplemented, it turns out that entities breed unnecessarily. What if we apply the principle of the scalpel to all types of disease and cut off the excess? Occam's razor reflects simple things, so all diseases can be classified into two groups:
- poisoning. Any infectious, viral, allergic diseases, helminthic invasions are the poisoning of the body with microbial waste products or, scientifically, with toxins entering the blood.
- Failure of bodily functions (injury). A person is a biological computer, and when various injuries occur: fractures, blood clots, blockage of arteries, we can say about it as an injury.
Occam's Razor - Examples
Occam's Razor how to use this methodological principle in ordinary life? A person often uses the principles of "two evils" choosing the lesser, and also knows that problems must be solved as they arise, "the simpler the better" - all this is the use of a "razor" in the everyday sense. On the examples of great people you can see Occam's razor in action:
- The ancient Greek philosopher Plato talked with his students and to their question: who is a man, the thinker answered simply and succinctly “an animal with two legs and no feathers.” Another famous philosopher Diogenes, having heard this statement, decided to refute it. Diogenes caught a rooster, plucked it and brought it to the school where thinkers studied with the exclamation: "This is the Platonic man!" Plato did not lose his head and added to his original definition of a person: “And with flat nails!”.
- Pierre-Simon de Laplace, mechanic and astronomer, creator of the first theory of occurrence solar system, in conversations with Emperor Napoleon, he often referred to the Divine presence in everything, and Bonaparte, noting this, asked the Marquis why, with such frequent mention of God, he was never mentioned in the works of the scientist. Laplace replied that there was no need for this hypothesis.
Fans of Umberto Eco, of course, noticed that main character"The Name of the Rose" is reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes - both in the manner of presentation and, of course, in the principle of deduction. But not everyone knows that he is "written off" from another famous - and, by the way, real - personality who lived in the fourteenth century. It's William of Ockham medieval philosopher and author of a famous scientific principle. Without it, it is difficult to imagine a strict logical assumption. This principle is known as Occam's Razor.
short biography
The philosopher himself was from the English county of Surrey. More precisely, from a small village called Ockham (or Ockham). Since he took the tonsure, according to custom, as a monk, he was called by name and locality, where he was born. Therefore, it is more correct to call him William of Ockham. Having entered the Franciscan order, the future philosopher was engaged in theology. Since he supported the current of spirituals, later recognized as heretical, he had many problems with the Vatican. He even had to go to jail. It was only thanks to powerful secular patrons who were enemies of the Pope that he was able to escape a harsher sentence. Strictly speaking, he is not the discoverer of the "Occam's razor" principle. It's just that he very successfully formulated the thesis put forward by Aristotle in his time. This is the principle of sufficient reason.
Essence of the question
Why is this logical postulate so good? First of all, the fact that "Occam's razor" reflects the content of the principle of simplicity. The author was able to formulate this thesis so precisely and briefly, since he was a professional theologian, and thus tried to prove the existence of God. It means that where you can make one assumption, you should not make many of them, if this is not necessary. It can also be understood in such a way that with the help of one explanation it is possible to substantiate a thesis in the same way, or even better, than using a large number of arguments. Therefore, it is often called the principle of economy, frugality or reductionism.
Wording problem
"Occam's Razor" is most often known in a short formulation like: "Entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily." However, the philosopher himself did not write down his thesis in this form. They are not in the works of Ockham himself. In fact, this paraphrase of the principle of the famous Franciscan belongs to English and German commentators on his texts, and only became popular in the seventeenth century. Occam's formulation sounds more accurate, since the play on Latin words allows us to apply this principle precisely as a "razor blade", that is, to "cut off" a false assumption, and thus reveal the truth.
Occam's Razor in Philosophy
Although the thinker himself tried to use his method in theology, in the era of modern times he found application in the sciences. He became especially popular in philosophy thanks to Leibniz. The latter expanded his understanding, and this thesis began to be interpreted as follows. If we assert that a certain object, process, connection between objects or a law exists, then for this we have facts and logical conclusions from them. This is called foundations. Next, we look at exactly what logically consistent explanations are available for evidence. If they are complex, then you can try to reduce them to simpler ones. Then the "Occam's razor" is applied to see if there is any reason for this. If not, then the simplest statements will be true. If there are such grounds, then this principle is not applicable here. In addition, this logical “blade” itself requires preferring a simpler hypothesis only if it can also very accurately interpret and describe the given phenomenon. More broadly in philosophy, this principle is applied to the rejection of implausible and unconvincing theories.
Occam's razor method in science
As we can see from the above, the Franciscan doctor was not at all against complex explanations, and did not forbid them. He is simply trying to introduce a certain order of consideration and construction of theories so that one can not get confused in false claims. That is why this principle has become the basis of scientific modeling. According to him, having a set of different equivalent models of any phenomenon, one should choose the simplest of them. The principle of "Occam's razor" in this case helps to "cut off" the terms of concepts or constructs that we do not need to explain this phenomenon. If you follow these rules, then the process of building a model becomes easier, and the likelihood of inconsistencies, ambiguities, and abuse is reduced. It is also indispensable when creating complex systems. However, this method is difficult to apply in a situation where the models we have are not equivalent. In addition, the criteria for simplicity themselves often differ. And it is not always clear which model answers them.
In culture
The principle of "Occam's razor" is so popular that it even began to be played out in contemporary literature and cinematography. A fairly well-known historical anecdote is the answer of the astronomer Laplace to Emperor Napoleon. When the ruler asked the scientist where in his theory of the origin of the Universe there would be a place for God, he heard the answer that this hypothesis was too complicated and was rejected by him. On the other hand, in the equally famous series The X-Files, Fox Mulder, in response to his partner Dana Scully's attempts to explain everything, following the principle of economy, calls Occam's razor "the principle of limited imagination." About it logical principle science fiction writers often like to mention - from the Strugatsky brothers to Dan Brown.
William of Ockham was one of the most popular philosophers of the 14th century. But modernity knows it only because of the authorship of the principle of simplicity. In one of his books, he suggested cutting off all unnecessary complexity, leaving only the required arguments. This principle is called "Occam's razor" and it sounds something like this: "It is not necessary to multiply entities unnecessarily." In other words, he suggests, where possible, to keep simple explanations without complicating them.
Limits of Occam's Principle
The principle of "Occam's razor" is that reasoning should not be cluttered with unnecessary concepts and terms, if you can do without them. Its wording has changed countless times, but the meaning has remained the same.
Many monographs have been written on how Occam's razor works. This principle has become as significant as the exclusion of the third in logic or in physics.
But is Occam's razor applicable in Everyday life? Or can it be used only for scientific purposes? If we talk about the limits of the principle of simplicity, then are such situations possible in science when the economy of thinking does not bring the expected results? And is it always necessary in life to solve problems only as they come?
Of course, such situations are quite real, since both science and our everyday life do not flow smoothly and measuredly. In some cases, it is necessary to make special decisions on which the further course of life or scientific events depends. And there comes a moment when an obsolete theory is replaced by a completely new one. And at this time, you should not solve problems with the help of "Occam's razor". You should not cut off the “excess”, otherwise you will miss something very important specifically for you or humanity as a whole.
So, we can conclude that "Occam's razor" is applicable in the case when no qualitative changes are expected in science and in life.
An example of applying Ockham's formulation
The historian Philoteus Bener, in one of the editions of 1957, reports that Occam's Razor is mainly formulated by the author as follows: "It is not necessary to assert much without necessity." It is worth noting that William of Ockham only voiced the principle of simplicity, known since the time of Aristotle. In logic it is called the "law of sufficient reason".
For an example of a situation to which Occam's principle can be applied, one can cite the answer given by the physicist and mathematician Laplace to Emperor Napoleon. Allegedly, the latter told the scientist that there was not enough room for God in his theories. To which Laplace answered him: "I did not need to consider this hypothesis."
If we reformulate the principle of simplicity and economy into the language of information, then it will look like this: "The most accurate message is a short message."
This rule can be attributed to the current requirements for concretization of concepts. Each of the definitions used must be precise in order to exclude the possibility of creating redundant ones that claim to be all-encompassing.
In logic, the economy of initial assumptions lies in the fact that none of the accepted theses should follow from the others. That is, when proving an axiom, there should not be extra statements that are not directly related to it. Although this savings rule is not mandatory.
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Since ancient times, mankind has known a truly innumerable number of all kinds of philosophical sayings that reveal the features of human nature and guide its behavior, one might say, making life easier in various life situations. Such great thinkers as Plato, Aristotle, Demosthenes, Xenophon, Pythagoras and many others spoke on similar topics. Yes, and in our modern times, you can find a lot of interesting thoughts, for example, a special methodological principle called "Occam's Razor", which got its name in honor of the English philosopher and Franciscan monk William of Ockham. Let's talk about this very Occam's Razor.
What is Occam's Razor?
If we express the principle we are considering briefly, then it will sound as follows: “One should not multiply things unnecessarily.” In some cases, the principle is also interpreted as: "You should not involve new entities unless absolutely necessary." The presented principle is the basis of the principle of thrift or, as it is also called, the law of thrift.
Speaking of Occam's Razor, it is very important to say that the main content of this principle was not created by William of Ockham himself. Yes, at the stage preceding the Renaissance, called the Proto-Renaissance, the principle was formulated by Ockham, but its essence was known to mankind a very long time ago - from the time when Aristotle lived.
The essence of Occam's principle can be expressed as follows: in the event that a phenomenon can be explained using two different methods, for example, the first one involving terms, facts, factors, etc., i.e. entities A, B and C, and the second, involving the entities A, B, C and D, and both explanations lead to the same result, it is the first explanation that should be considered the most correct, because the entity D involved in the second explanation in the proposed example is redundant, and there is no need to involve it.
But here it is important to clarify that Occam's Razor is by no means an axiom, but a presumption, in other words, they do not put any prohibitions on more complex explanations, but recommends resorting to a special order for considering hypotheses, which is the most optimal in most situations.
Philotheus Böhner, a scholar of philosophy of the Middle Ages, in a 1957 work titled "Ockam. Philosophical Writings. A Selection Edited and Translated by Philotheus Boehner" says that in most cases Occam's Razor is quoted by William Ockham himself in the following form: "Unnecessarily one should not assert much." And if we consider a more specific explanation of this principle, then Occam said that one should not resort to plurality if it is not necessary, and any phenomenon (or fact) that can be explained using a certain number of grounds can also be explained, moreover , even much better, with just one base.
In addition, sometimes Occam's Razor is formulated like this: "What can be explained in terms of less should not be expressed in terms of more." And the most common formulations, such as, for example, "Entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily", were not found in the works of William of Ockham. The first formulation was first recorded in the commentaries on the work of the Scottish theologian and philosopher Duns Scotus "Opus Oxoniense" in 1639, given by the Franciscan John Pons. And the second formulation was presented in 1654 by the German philosopher Johann Clauberg. William of Ockham himself formulated this principle mainly as a confirmation of the existence of God.
But after more than a dozen years, Occam's Razor, so to speak, has acquired new interpretations and interpretations.
How is Occam's Razor understood today?
Modern researchers understand by Occam's Razor a certain general principle that indicates that if there are a number of explanations for something that do not logically contradict each other, and which interpret this something equally well, then it is best if there are other identical conditions, the correct explanation is the one that is the simplest. And the content of the principle is reduced to an even simpler statement: it is not necessary to introduce any new laws to explain any new phenomena, if these new phenomena are perfectly explained with the help of already existing old laws.
However, here, too, a clarification should be made: Occam's Razor suggests resorting to a simpler explanation only when it can explain some phenomenon exhaustively, i.e. in no way less than a more complex explanation can explain. At the same time, it is very important to take into account all the information known at the current time, and also pay attention to the fact that there are no good and objective reasons for using a more complex explanation.
If you look at Occam's Razor from the point of view, then it is based on the principle of sufficient reason, which was introduced by Aristotle back in the 4th century BC, and after that already in modern form formulated German philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. Its interpretation is as follows: to talk about the existence of objects, phenomena, connections, patterns, etc. relevant only if there are grounds for this, in other words, facts or certain conclusions from these facts that confirm the proposition in question.
If we consider simple and complex explanations from the standpoint of the principle of sufficient reason just mentioned, then it can be easily seen that if a simpler explanation is in itself exhaustive and complete, then in order to introduce any new components into the discussion process, it is simply there is no reason. But on the other hand, if there are still such reasons, this means that a simpler explanation can no longer be considered sufficiently exhaustive and complete, because. it will not cover those causes. Thus, the situation does not meet the conditions for applying Occam's Razor.
Now let's briefly touch on what the term "razor" is in general within the framework of our topic.
What does "razor" mean?
From a philosophical point of view, the concept of "razor" is interpreted as a special tool designed to discard (shave off) unlikely and / or implausible explanations. And given that a razor is a shaving tool, the same name was applied to the tool that helps to establish the truth.
It will not be superfluous to note that in addition to Occam's Razor, there are others, for example, Hitchens' Razor, Hanlon's Razor, Popper's Principle of falsifiability and others.
And in order to explain how Occam's Razor is applied in practice, we will give some interesting examples.
Application examples of Occam's Razor
He slightly reformulated Occam's principle, after which it began to look like this: "Everything should be simplified as long as possible, but no more."
Occam's razor has also been reformulated in informational language. According to information theory, Occam's Razor says that the message with the greatest accuracy will be the message with the minimum length.
After the disciples of the thinker Plato asked him to explain what a man is, Plato replied that a man is an animal that has two legs and does not have feathers. Diogenes, a contemporary of Plato, having heard this explanation, found a rooster, caught it, plucked it and brought it to the Academy, where the philosophers and their students were, and then showed this rooster, declaring publicly that this is the very “Platonic man”. Reacting to all this, Plato only supplemented his original definition and said: "And with flat nails!"
And another example, which is considered one of the most famous, is the answer given by the physicist and mathematician Laplace (the creator of the first theory of the origin of the solar system) to Emperor Napoleon. When Napoleon asked Laplace why the word "God", which Lagrange (an Italian mathematician and astronomer of French origin) constantly repeats, never appears in his works, Laplace simply replied that he had no need for this hypothesis.
Perhaps, we will not look for any new hypotheses and interpretations of Occam's Razor, and end our article on this interesting and witty note.
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