the razor of Tao

"The simplest answer is usually the correct answer." 
William of Ockham (XIV century)

This principle, at the basis of modern scientific thought, in its simplest form suggests that it is useless to make more assumptions than those strictly necessary to explain a given phenomenon: Ockham's razor requires choosing among the many causes, one that explains easiest way to the event, and is an essential tool in order not to have a description that is more complex than the complexity that one is describing.

« Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem. »

«Concepts are not to be multiplied beyond necessity »

« Pluralitas non est ponenda sine necessitate. »

« Entities are not to be multiplied without necessity. »

For example, if after parking on the outskirts of Minneapolis a canary-yellow Rolls Royce with the keys in place, and returning after a week and not having found it any more, it is legitimate to assume that this is the proof that aliens exist because they undoubtedly have taken it for their studying. Ockham's Razor, however, likely an explanation simpler and ordinary...it should be noted that while this hypothesis nothing say about the cause of disappearance or on the presence or less of aliens it tells much about the person that says it...

Ockham's razor gives a guideline in the situation where different descriptions are possible, it does not encourage the choice most banal, often the simplest description is far from trivial, as Einstein pointed out:

    "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler"

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proposition 3.328 If a sign is not necessary then it is meaningless. That is the meaning of Occam's razor.

(If everything in the symbolism works as though a sign had meaning, then it has meaning.)

proposition 5.47321 Ockham's razor is, of course, not an arbitrary rule nor one justified by its practical success. It simply says that unnecessary elements in a symbolism mean nothing.

Signs which serve one purpose are logically equivalent, signs which serve no purpose are logically meaningless.