![]() Hanlon’s razor is one of my favorites and is a paraphrase of Ockham’s ditto. Note that he probably shaved, most depictions show him without a beard. Little did William Ockham (1287-1347) know that his principle could be used to troubleshoot networks. Together, they create, in addition to a small family of razors, an excellent basis for critical and logical thinking, better arguments and discussions. But as a progenitor, the greatness also lies in the fact that the principle is the father of a whole bunch of other razors. (Hello conspiracy theory!) Ockham’s razor is fantastic in its own right, which is why it’s so great alive and kicking after 700 years. It’s when someone instead approaches a problem with a ridiculously large number of assumptions. ![]() We can call the opposite Ockham’s silver tape. If you are presented with several competing hypotheses for a phenomenon, or explanations for an event, you should start by choosing the simplest, most likely, and the one that makes the fewest assumptions. Ockham’s razor may sound trite, but as a problem-solving principle it is invaluable. But it’s true more often than not and is therefore a useful mental shortcut that allows you to make decisions and solve problems faster and more easily. This kind of philosophical razor is not a law or rule. In short: Don’t mess things up unnecessarily. If there are different opinions about what explains a certain phenomenon, then one should first consider the explanation that is the least complicated, or that does not require a series of new explanations. Ockham’s razor is a rule of thumb in scientific method and the “razor” itself aims to shave away unnecessary assumptions in order to reach the simplest explanation: The progenitor of these razors is attributed to the monk and philosopher William Ockham who lived 700 years ago. Problem solving with the ancestor of razors These variations are useless for beard growth, but invaluable as principles, and I use them almost every day. My relationship with razors might well have ended there, if it weren’t for a completely different kind of razor. ![]() Since then, I’ve only gotten away with the planer once and was met with everything from “what the f*ck have you done dad?” to “you don’t look smart”. The beard was allowed to remain and shaving was replaced by some sporadic trimming. I was on parental leave with the second child, walked around in cozy pants basically all day, and couldn’t bear to shave every quarter of an hour. Sharpen the forum discussions with helpful razorsġ1 years ago I put down the razor for good.
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