Occam
Medieval simplicity advocate
Occam refers to William of Ockham, a 14th-century English philosopher and theologian.
His name appears almost exclusively in Occam's razor, the principle that the simplest explanation requiring the fewest assumptions is usually correct.
The razor metaphorically cuts away unnecessary complexity.
Also spelled Ockham.
Excessive frugality with resources
- simplicityLack of complexity
- pluralityLargest share among several
- entitiesThings that exist
- assumptionsUnproven things taken as true
explanations · principle · William of Ockham · economy · heuristic · inference · minimalism · reductionism
Universals exist as labels only
- scholasticismRigorous dialectical learning method
- medievalOf the Middle Ages
- universalsProperties holding across all
- particularsIndividual facts or details
Franciscan · Oxford · logic · epistemology · metaphysics · realism · theology · empiricism
parsimony
Excessive frugality with resources
- simplicityLack of complexity
- pluralityLargest share among several
- entitiesThings that exist
assumptions · explanations · principle · William of Ockham · economy · heuristic · inference · minimalism · reductionism · sufficiency
nominalism
Universals exist as labels only
- scholasticismRigorous dialectical learning method
- medievalOf the Middle Ages
- universalsProperties holding across all
particulars · Franciscan · Oxford · logic · epistemology · metaphysics · realism · theology · empiricism · rationalism
- programming languagesC, C++, BASIC, C#, Java
- parallel computingmultiprocessors, shared memory, supercomputers, UPC, Linda
OccamRube Goldberg
Unnecessarily complicated mechanism
Ptolemy · Duns Scotus · Hegel · Thomas Aquinas · Leibniz
Occamconspiracy theorist
One who suspects cover-ups
epicycles · Rube Goldberg · overcomplicated · convoluted · maximalism
OccamDuns Scotus
Medieval Scottish theologian-philosopher
Plato · Thomas Aquinas · essentialist · universalist · Bonaventure
- Occam's razorPrefer simplest sufficient explanation