occam 

a black manservent (slave) from the movie "The Patriot" who cannont read when asked to.

i cant do anything ima occam.

occam by the shagger October 28, 2003

Occam's Scissor 

The simplest, most likely explanation for two chicks who spend all their time together is lesbianism. A variation on Occam’s Razor with respect for the scissoring art form.

"Tammy and Kristy bought Birkenstocks and went to Tulum again; they say it's a spiritual connection"
"Occam's Scissor, they're banging"

Occam's Scissor by Hunter Michael Michaels January 14, 2020

Occam's Shuriken 

A problem-solving principle, first devised by Ross Scott in his webseries "Freeman's Mind." The principle states that when the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas.

Ninjas! Of course, that's like rule number one! It's Occam's Shuriken: when the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas.

Occam's Shuriken by JimJava007 February 15, 2015

occam's razor 

Principle established by the logician William of Ockham in the 14th century. Like the Principle of Parsimony, this theory states that one should not make unnecessary assumptions and that the answer to a problem is often the simplest. It is the basis of methodological reductionalism and applications of its principles are commonly used in modern strategy and economics. *also "ockham's razor"

Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem.

occam's razor by sug-almighty July 8, 2005

Occam's laser 

The most awesome explanation is usually the correct one.

Teacher: Class, what is the most common isotope in the atmosphere?

Student: Well actually Miss, Occam's Laser proves that there are billions of subatomic elves that make everything work, so all chemistry is wrong and your question is invalid.

Occam's laser by HoboBullFrog May 4, 2011

Occam's razor 

Occam's razor is a logical principle attributed to the mediaeval philosopher William of Occam (or Ockham). The principle states that one should not make more assumptions than the minimum needed. This principle is often called the principle of parsimony. It underlies all scientific modelling and theory building. It admonishes us to choose from a set of otherwise equivalent models of a given phenomenon the simplest one. In any given model, Occam's razor helps us to "shave off" those concepts, variables or constructs that are not really needed to explain the phenomenon. By doing that, developing the model will become much easier, and there is less chance of introducing inconsistencies, ambiguities and redundancies.

Though the principle may seem rather trivial, it is essential for model building because of what is known as the "underdetermination of theories by data". For a given set of observations or data, there is always an infinite number of possible models explaining those same data. This is because a model normally represents an infinite number of possible cases, of which the observed cases are only a finite subset. The non-observed cases are inferred by postulating general rules covering both actual and potential observations.

For example, through two data points in a diagram you can always draw a straight line, and induce that all further observations will lie on that line. However, you could also draw an infinite variety of the most complicated curves passing through those same two points, and these curves would fit the empirical data just as well. Only Occam's razor would in this case guide you in choosing the "straight" (i.e. linear) relation as best candidate model. A similar reasoning can be made for n data points lying in any kind of distribution.

Occam's razor is especially important for universal models such as the ones developed in General Systems Theory, mathematics or philosophy, because there the subject domain is of an unlimited complexity. If one starts with too complicated foundations for a theory that potentially encompasses the universe, the chances of getting any manageable model are very slim indeed. Moreover, the principle is sometimes the only remaining guideline when entering domains of such a high level of abstraction that no concrete tests or observations can decide between rival models. In mathematical modelling of systems, the principle can be made more concrete in the form of the principle of uncertainty maximization: from your data, induce that model which minimizes the number of additional assumptions.

This principle is part of epistemology, and can be motivated by the requirement of maximal simplicity of cognitive models. However, its significance might be extended to metaphysics if it is interpreted as saying that simpler models are more likely to be correct than complex ones, in other words, that "nature" prefers simplicity.

One should not increase, beyond what is necessary, the number of entities required to explain anything

Occam's razor by onomiyaki July 10, 2005

Occam's Toilet Brush 

Technique of philosophical discourse wherein the most obvious and simple explanation must be pointedly ignored to allow discussion of weak and immediately falsifiable alternatives. Used primarily to draw out a discussion with minimal danger of actually reaching a resolution.

"Maybe I'm overthinking this. Maybe I'm not transgendered. Maybe it's just internalized misogyny. Maybe I'm really a self-hating lesbian."
"Yeah, that you've been miserable all your life unless when identifying as male isn't worth considering. Dude, you're totally using Occam's Toilet Brush."

Occam's Toilet Brush by CaptainScorpio July 22, 2008