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Term: Occam's Razor

DEFINITION:

The popular (and incorrect) definition of this expression is that the simplest explanation that covers all possibilities is the correct one. Whether or not that is valid, it's not the original meanng of Occam's Razor. Attributed to William of Occam (c. 1285–1349) the actual meaning is that when explaining a phenomenon by selecting one of two competing theories that are otherwise equal, you should select the one that makes the fewest new assumptions.