Among competing hypotheses that predict equally well, the one with the fewest assumptions should be selected.
Takeaways
- The best method for reducing complexity is to avoid it in the first place.
- Analyze each element and remove as many as possible, without compromising the overall function.
- Consider completion only when no additional items can be removed.
Origins
Occam’s razor (also Ockham’s razor; Latin: lex parsimoniae "law of parsimony") is a problem-solving principle that, when presented with competing hypothetical answers to a problem, one should select the one that makes the fewest assumptions. The idea is attributed to William of Ockham (c. 1287–1347), who was an English Franciscan friar, scholastic philosopher, and theologian.