Terminology Tuesday: Ockham’s Razor

Ockham’s Razor is the popular name for a principle laid down by William of Ockham (1285–1349). It is also called the Principle of Parsimony. In its popular form it states that the simplest explanation is the best explanation. This is often taken to mean “the fewer, the truer,” and by logical extension “the fewest, the truest.” However, this is not what Ockham had in mind.

In the original form given by Ockham the principle merely affirms that “causes should not be multiplied without necessity.” That is, one should not posit more causes or reasons than are necessary to explain the data. The true explanation could involve many causes, and having fewer would be incorrect. But unnecessarily complicating the problem also makes reasoning incorrect.

Geisler, N. L. (1999). Ockham’s Razor. In Baker encyclopedia of Christian apologetics (p. 548). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.