• Hemingways_Shotgun@lemmy.ca
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    10 months ago

    Occam’s Razor is a philosophical thought experiment, nothing more.

    That’s why the important part of the phrase (that people tend to ignore) is “…all things being equal”.

    It means “if these multiple answers/solutions were to exist in a vacuum, and context was of no importance, the simplest answer/solution is probably the right one.”

    Here in the real, non philosophical world, absolutely nothing exists in a vacuum. Context always plays a role no matter how innocuous or silly the decision might be.

    At it’s simplest, I can say “Do I want to eat an Apple or an Orange right now.”

    Occam’s razor tells me that the Apple is closer, so that’s what I should eat.

    But WHY is the apple closer? Did someone take it out of the fridge and leave it, so now it’s spoiled?

    Is it in a fruit bowl that happens to be out of oranges? That means someone might have eaten the last one, so getting up and going to the fridge to retrieve and orange could lead to disappointment and wasted time.

    etc… etc…

    Nothing is simple. Anyone who says it is is trying to sell you something.