Occam's razor

English

Alternative forms

• Ockham's razor

Etymology

Named after English Franciscan theologist William of Occam, an advocate of the law of parsimony, and the idea of a razor as a tool that trims or shaves.

Proper noun

Occam's razor

1. (epistemology) The principle of preferring the simplest of competing theories.

   Synonyms: law of parsimony, principle of parsimony

   • 2005, “Burning Beard”, performed by Clutch:

     Bugger, bugger, bugger dumb the last of academe / Occam's razor makes the cutting clean / Shaven like a banker, Lilac Vegeta

Translations

principle

• Armenian: Օկամի ածելի (Ōkami aceli)
• Bulgarian: бръснач на Окам m (brǎsnač na Okam)
• Catalan: navalla d'Occam f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 奧卡姆剃刀 / 奥卡姆剃刀 (zh) (Àokǎmǔ tìdāo)

• Czech: Occamova břitva f
• Danish: Ockhams ragekniv
• Dutch: Ockhams scheermes n
• Estonian: Ockhami habemenuga
• Finnish: Occamin partaveitsi
• French: rasoir d’Occam m
• Galician: navalla de Occam f
• German: Ockhams Rasiermesser (de) n
• Hebrew: תערו של אוקאם m (ta’aru shel Okkam)
• Hungarian: Occam borotvája
• Icelandic: rakhnífur Ockhams m
• Indonesian: pisau Ockham
• Interlingua: rasorio de Occam
• Italian: rasoio di Occam m
• Japanese: オッカムの剃刀 (Okkamu no kamisori)
• Korean: 오컴의 면도날 (okeom-ui myeondonal)
• Latin: novacula Guillelmi de Ockham f
• Lithuanian: Okamo skustuvas m
• Norwegian: Ockhams barberkniv m
• Persian: تیغ اوکام (tiğ okâm)
• Polish: brzytwa Ockhama f
• Portuguese: navalha de Occam f, navalha de Ockham f, lâmina de Occam f, lâmina de Ockham f
• Romanian: briciul lui Occam n
• Russian: бри́тва О́ккама (ru) f (brítva Ókkama)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: Окамова бритва f

  Roman: Okamova britva f, Occamova oštrica f

• Slovene: Occamova britev m, Occamovo rezilo n
• Spanish: navaja de Occam f
• Swedish: Ockhams rakkniv c
• Thai: หลักการของออคแคม (làk gaan kŏng òkkaem)
• Ukrainian: принцип простоти m (pryncyp prostoty), бри́тва О́ккама f (brýtva Ókkama)

See also

• Hanlon's razor
• Hitchens' razor
• Newton's flaming laser sword
• Occam's broom
• when you hear hoofbeats, think of horses, not zebras

Further reading

• Occam's razor on Wikipedia.Wikipedia