I try to always apply the concept of Occam’s Razor ever since I heard about it. I encountered this particular theory way back in 2013.
Although Occam’s Razor is more commonly described in pop culture as “the simplest answer is most often correct”, it is quite an oversimplification. The more correct interpretation is that “entities should not be multiplied needlessly”.
For scientists, the most useful statement of the principle is:
when you have two competing theories that make exactly the same predictions, the simpler one is the better
For me personally though, it is special because it always reminds me that we all live in an increasingly complex world where people try to complicate things way too much in trying to understand situations, particularly, life. Yet in almost every case the reason for confusion is the complexity that we insert into the analysis from our thinking, a.k.a. assumptions. Sometimes things get crazier because of assumptions, when in reality, the answer is right before our eyes.
For example:
Person A and Person B are running together. Person A is suddenly nowhere to be found. What happened to Person A?
- Person A got tired so Person A bought water.
- Person A got ran over by a fast-speeding truck driven by a drunk man.
- Person A forgot something so Person A went back to get it.
- Person A just left.
Options 1, 2 and 3 have more than 1 assumptions each. Option 4 has only one. Apply the Occam Razor’s principle and see for yourself.
Life is more enjoyable when you shave off the BS.
As I have recently tweeted,
Life is short and complicated. Adding another layer of complexity to it is a waste of time.