Ockham's Razor
- noun
- /ˈɑkəmz ˈreɪzər/
:
razón de Ockham
- Applying Ockham's Razor, the detective decided that the most straightforward explanation was the most likely.
Examples
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It's called Ockham's Razor for all of you coming up with these ever-so-intricate conspiracy theories.
Blog text (14) -
When faced with multiple explanations for a phenomenon, many scientists apply Ockham's Razor to choose the simplest one.
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In resolving the mystery, he remembered Ockham's Razor: the simplest solution is often the correct one.
Synonyms
An idea that, among different explanations, you should choose the simplest one
A rule that says to choose the simplest explanation with the fewest assumptions
Surface Forms
Morphology
Ockham's + Razor
This is an eponymous, metaphorical term: 'Ockham's' is a proper name and 'razor' is a literal cutting tool, but the intended sense ('prefer the simplest explanation') is a specialized metaphorical principle. A B1 learner who knows the constituent words would not reliably infer this philosophical meaning without prior exposure or cultural/disciplinary knowledge, so it is not compositionally predictable.
Etymology
Ockham's Razor comes from a monk named William of Ockham long ago, who used the image of a razor to 'shave off' extra ideas from an explanation. So it means choosing the 'simplest explanation' when several ideas can explain the same thing.
