Occam’s Razor is a principle that states that the simplest explanation for a phenomenon is usually the best. The name comes from the 14th-century philosopher and theologian William of Ockham, who advocated for avoiding unnecessary assumptions and complexities in reasoning. It is often used to eliminate unnecessary assumptions or hypotheses in science, logic, and problem-solving. Here are some examples of Occam’s Razor in action:
- When you hear hoofbeats, think of horses, not zebras. This means that the most common or likely cause of something is more probable than a rare or exotic one.
- If two competing theories explain the same facts equally well, choose the one that makes fewer assumptions. This is also known as the principle of parsimony or simplicity.
- If you have a headache, it is more likely that you are dehydrated or stressed than that you have a brain tumor. This means that you should not jump to extreme conclusions without sufficient evidence.
(Google translate)
オッカムの剃刀（Occam’s Razor）は「通常は、現象の最もシンプルな説明が。ベストである」という原則です。 この名前は、14 世紀の哲学者で神学者のウィリアム オブ オッカムに由来します。 科学、論理、問題解決において不要な仮定や仮説を排除するためによく使用されます。オッカムの剃刀の例には、次のようなものがあります。
Life Is Simple: How Occam’s Razor Set Science Free and Shapes the Universe
by Johnjoe McFadden
Centuries ago, the principle of Ockham’s razor changed our world by showing simpler answers to be preferable and more often true. In Life Is Simple, scientist Johnjoe McFadden traces centuries of discoveries, taking us from a geocentric cosmos to quantum mechanics and DNA, arguing that simplicity has revealed profound answers to the greatest mysteries. This is no coincidence. From the laws that keep a ball in motion to those that govern evolution, simplicity, he claims, has shaped the universe itself. And in McFadden’s view, life could only have emerged by embracing maximal simplicity, making the fundamental law of the universe a cosmic form of natural selection that favors survival of the simplest. Recasting both the history of science and our universe’s origins, McFadden transforms our understanding of ourselves and our world.
世界はシンプルなほど正しい 「オッカムの剃刀」はいかに今日の科学をつくったか
ジョンジョー・マクファデン (著), 水谷 淳 (翻訳)
さまざまな科学革命を可能にした“思考の道具”の物語。
よりシンプルな答えこそ好ましく、往々にしてそれは正しい――複雑さや冗長さを容赦なく削ぎ落とすさまから「オッカムの剃刀」と呼ばれるこの思考の方針は、科学を宗教の支配から解放し、地動説、量子力学、ＤＮＡの発見など、多くの科学的偉業を支えることとなった。本書は科学の発展史を辿りつつ、単純さこそが、宇宙や生命の誕生といった深遠な謎を解き明かす鍵であることを示す壮大な試みである。そしてすべては、中世の果敢な神学者の冒険から始まる――
iPadやiPhoneは、前面にボタンが一つしかないシンプルなデザインである。これは、Occam’s Razorに基づいたスティーブ・ジョブズの哲学の反映である。