Razor (philosophy)

In philosophy, a razor is a device which allows one to shave away unlikely explanations for a phenomenon.^[1]

Famous razors include:

• Occam's razor - when faced with competing hypotheses, select the one that makes the fewest assumptions
• Popper's falsifiability principle - a theory can only be scientific if it is falsifiable
• Newton's flaming laser sword - what cannot be settled by experiment is not worth debating
• Hanlon's razor - assume incompetence over malice

Some philosophers have proposed anti-razors. Examples include:

• Principle of plenitude

See also

• Variations of Occam's razor
• Razor

References