What Is Occam’s Razor?

Показать описание

A short explainer video with examples outlining the basic principles of Occam's Razor, also known as Ockham's Razor.

i do quite like Occam's Razor as it fits in well with my philosophy for making decisions, whilst keeping in mind that each decision must also be considered holistically. Generally, from the Chimp Mind Management Model by Professor Steve Peter's the advice is that, in the absence of any new data, make a decision and deal with the consequeces. this fits in nicely with Occam's Razor thus.

1. Consider all factors
2. Which of those factors is most likely
3. Stumbling blocks and potential unseen factors
4. Narrow down your decision
5. Any new information
6. Make the decision

This can all be done very quickly, sometimes you might not even realise you're making the decision, or it could be a picture which builds up over time.The ultimate takeaway though is to not spend too long deliberating over your decisions, the simplest is to be preferred.

Please do like, subscribe and share if you enjoyed this video and keep an eye out for related content :)

FULL (ISH) SCRIPT

Welcome back to another semi-educational video, this time discussing Occam’s Razor.
Succinctly put, Occam’s razor is a philosophical theory popularised by an English Friar, William of Ockham.
He was named Ockham for he originated from the town of Ockham in Surrey, England, in the thirteenth & fourteenth centuries.
Note well that Ockham wasn’t the first to come up with this theory however, he used it the most frequently and with such cutting efficiency the name Occam’s razor stuck and now we associate it with him.
The theory itself goes thus:

plurality should not be posited without necessity.

“Eh?” This all sounds well and good but what the hell does it mean? Let’s apply a 21st century filter to the words.

‘when considering two theories the simplest is to be preferred’.
We will now give two examples of the theory in action but first we must note that Occam’s Razor is not applicable in all situations, has its flaws BUT does serve as a good general guide for ‘trimming the fat’.

First, if I may indulge, we will cut back to this lady, before she was saying ‘what the hell does that mean’ but now ‘why the hell aren’t you subscribed to this channel?’

Let us discuss Example 1, putting Occam’s razor to good use.
If we take two opposing theories on the creation of the universe, one which Occam himself would have no doubt discussed as a Christian thinker, we have two options, the Lord God almighty and Big Bang Theory.
With the Lord God Almighty you only have one option, an all powerful deity created the universe. Full stop.
With big bang theory we have to consider the event was ‘lucky’, the right particles in the right conditions are the right time. All of which went through various stages of change. Different species evolved from these atoms and particles and no knowledge as to what came before?

Using Occam’s razor, which Occam no doubt would have done, the theory favours the Lord God Almighty as this only has 1 factor to consider rather than many – see the flaw yet?

Let’s take another example you may be able to relate to easier, one in a business setting.
The same staff member calls in sick every Sunday morning. Always a similar excuse, migraine, vomiting etc. Nothing serious, just enough to knock them out for the days work until Monday (most of the time).
We can again take two options:
1. This employee is taking liberties and is calling in sick to have a jolly old time at the weekend rather than turning in for work. More than likely, after drinking too much on a Friday and Saturday night
2. This person has a severe immune deficiency which is very specific in terms of regularity and onset and currently, medical science cannot offer any remedy to stop the symptoms occurring at a weekend.
To make things less simple, we will throw in a third option before applying Occam’s razor.
3. Option 3 is that something in the person’s work life is causing stress and/or anxiety making them dodge work. Perhaps this is an overbearing manager, a harsh workload or unrealistic targets.
Applying Occam’s razor we can immediately irradicate option 2 and next to go would be option three as there are more contributing factors. However, in the real world, option three should still be explored.

Finally, this last section is not only giving you a recap of Occam’s Razor but also inviting you to like, subscribe, comment and if you have the energy after all that, SHARE!