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 actions.
Occam’s razor, also spelled Ockham’s razor or Ocham’s razor, is a problem-solving principle according to which, when presented with competing theories as possible solutions to a same question, and assuming that all other pertinent considerations are equal, the simplest of the competing solutions is generally the better one and should therefore be preferred to the more complex explanations.
As indicated in the original texts:
- “Plurality should not be posited without necessity”, or
- “Entities are not to be multiplied without necessity”, or
- “It is futile to do with more things that which can be done with fewer”.
The principle is credited to early 14th century English Franciscan frier, William of Ockham, a philosopher and theologian. It is also referred to as the Law of Economy or the Law of Parsimony.
When given the choice to select the best solution from multiple explanations, the law requires that one considers the simplest solution as the most likely to be the better one. The fewer steps in a process or variables in an equation, the better.
However, the law is not a commandment and does not expect to take precedence over good logic.
The concept was also invoked by other philosophers and scientists before Ockham, including Aristotle and Maimonides, and many scientists after, including Isaac Newton, but Ockham referred to it and used it so often that it was named after him, some centuries after his death.
Applications
Besides philosophy and religion, Occam’s razor has also been used in science as a heuristic in the development of models, as well as in many areas of life and business that involve problem solving and the selection of a single solution from multiple, equally plausible hypotheses.
In Physics, for example, Albert Einstein used parsimony in the formulation of his special theory of relativity. Consider this quote from Dr. Einstein: “Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler.”
Or, this quote from Sir Isaac Newton: “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, if that assumption does not improve the answer, it is removed, for leaving it would only increase the risk of errors.
It is also used in evolutionary biology, psychology, religion, penal theory, and of course in probability theory and statistics, from which many mathematicians state Occam’s Razor originated.
It is used in Medicine. Consider this quote from Dr. Woodward, Nobel Prize in Medicine: “When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras.”, thus recommending that more common causes be considered first during a diagnosis before considering rare conditions.
Over the years, some mathematicians have criticized the principle for oversimplification and even advocated for entities to not be reduced to the point of inadequacy, stating that attempting to solve with less what required more was futile.
While we will leave mathematical debate to the mathematicians, there is room for Occam’s Razor in our lives and in our businesses, when presented with multiple, complex, sometimes even risky entities to solve a problem, an obvious, simpler path is generally the one to choose.