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Article #1263Re: Simplicity and truth (was: Re: Science and Aesthetics)
From: Eric S. Raymond
Date: Sat, 22 Aug 1987 17:07
Date: Sat, 22 Aug 1987 17:07
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In article <20194@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU>, kube@cogsci.berkeley.edu (Paul Kube) writes:
> Ockham's razor enjoins us to
> disbelieve the first [simpler] theory, other things being equal; and I'm
> still wondering if there's an argument for it.
>
> --Paul kube@berkeley.edu, ...!ucbvax!kube
There is no *formal* argument for Occam's Razor. It's a heuristic, based on
experience of what kinds of theory-building practices yield the most predictive
and robust theories. The argument for it, like the argument for scientific
method itself, is simply that it works.
--
Eric S. Raymond
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Post: 22 South Warren Avenue, Malvern, PA 19355 Phone: (215)-296-5718
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Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!rutgers!cbmvax!snark!eric From: eric@snark.UUCP (Eric S. Raymond) Newsgroups: sci.philosophy.tech Subject: Re: Simplicity and truth (was: Re: Science and Aesthetics) Message-ID: <132@snark.UUCP> Date: Sat, 22-Aug-87 13:07:51 EDT Article-I.D.: snark.132 Posted: Sat Aug 22 13:07:51 1987 Date-Received: Tue, 25-Aug-87 04:06:32 EDT References: <120@snark.UUCP> <86@thirdi.UUCP> <8707@ut-sally.UUCP> <20070@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> <8727@ut-sally.UUCP> Organization: Thyrsus Enterprises, Malvern PA 19355 Lines: 15 Summary: no formal argument for Occam's Razor