Occamism

Occamism, derived from the principle of Occam's Razor (attributed to William of Ockham), is a philosophical approach that prioritizes simplicity in explanations. It favors the solution with the fewest assumptions or entities. It suggests that, among competing hypotheses, the one that makes the fewest assumptions should be selected. Occamism isn't solely about being easy, it's about avoiding unnecessary complexities or the multiplication of entities beyond what's needed to explain the phenomenon. Its goal is to achieve maximum explanatory power with minimal resources.

Occamism meaning with examples

• In designing a new software system, the development team employed Occamism, opting for a streamlined architecture instead of a convoluted one, even if the simpler design required minor trade-offs in functionality. This approach minimized code complexity and enhanced maintainability.
• When analyzing a financial market trend, an investor using Occamism would first consider the most basic factors like supply and demand before introducing more complex theories. It favors the simplest model that accurately explains the market behavior.
• In scientific research, scientists employing Occamism often favor models with fewer parameters to explain their observations. If two hypotheses equally fit the data, the one with the fewest parameters (and thus fewer assumptions) is preferred.
• A detective applying Occamism to a murder investigation might initially focus on the suspects with the most obvious motive and opportunity, before delving into complicated scenarios that require numerous assumptions.
• When evaluating medical diagnoses, physicians practicing Occamism will try to apply the simplest explanation for the symptoms. They will use a single explanation before considering multiple coexisting and complex diseases.