Occam’s razor (also spelled Ockham’s razor) is a principle attributed to the 14th-century English logician and Franciscan friar William of Ockham (ca. 1285-1349).
The principle is often expressed in Latin as:
entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem,
which translates to:
entities should not be multiplied beyond necessity.
An alternative way of stating this principle is:
Pluralitas non est ponenda sine neccesitate
which translates to:
plurality should not be posited without necessity
I like this later translation the best. The reason that Occam’s Razor connects with me so deeply is that we all live in an increasingly complex world where we all try to complicate things way too much in trying to understand event/activities/outcomes/happenings, or in our case web data. Yet in almost every case the reason for sub optimal outcomes is the complexity that we insert into the analysis from our thinking (assumptions, hypotheses).
I am sure I am taking my own poetic license in understanding the principle and internalizing it but Occam’s Razor is always at the back of my mind because it reminds me that often we need to simplify our thinking. The simpler the explanation the more likely it is better than a complex one.
For us in the Decision Making field my recommendation is that to truly understand complex sets of data we should apply the Occam’s Razor “smell test”.
If you are interested in detailed background on this principle you can check out its Wikipedia entry. Another great resource is the Skeptic’s Dictionary.
I think this quote is quite appropriate to be placed here…
“A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Thanks for simple,elegant and informative blog.
Dear Avinash, what you say about the Occam’s razor is absolutely right! Many times we make our lives and thoughts more difficult than necessary; I am reading with great pleasure your wonderful book that explains sometimes complex matters in a very plain and understandable way. Compliments, again. Leonardo.
Avendish, I’ve been brandishing Occam’s Razor for the last ten years and didn’t know it. The concept of boiling complexity down to core is the theme of most everything I have examined on my blog. I’m pleased to find that this principle has such an interesting history. Thanks for the information on William of Ockham. You’re going right to the top of my blog roll.
Servo res simplex, bardus.
— Father Avinash the Analyst – 2008 A.D. :)
Keep it simple, stupid.
Great Blog, Thanks Avinash
I would translate like Brian Katz :
“Keep it simple, stupid.”
Good way to get, understand and use the data.
Pop philosophy from my high school days:
anyone can make a simple thing complicated.
it takes a genius to make a complicated thing simple.
I’m no genius, but whenever I can do the latter — what a feeling of satisfication!
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe:
“Less is More”
Same sentiment, echoed through later generations. All in the same vein.
Or as Albert Einstein (1879-1955) said:
“Out of clutter, find simplicity” and
“Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler. ”
I think the second one is a good translation of Occam’s Razor at least from the local proofs that Occam was concerned with.
Thanks for a great blog. Now I’m really studying the posts on segmentation. I love tracking, but didn’t realize the power of segments until you pointed it out.