Occam’s Razor

This article is the sixth in an ongoing series focused on the different cognitive biases. My hope for you is that you learn to be aware of the processes that guide your thinking and become a better human being.

For readers who aren't familiar with the term, a cognitive bias is a processing error in the mind that happens when humans are interpreting information — in turn, it affects decision making. For a more detailed description, read the first article in the cognitive bias series... https://hypnosisforhumans.com/articles/confabulation.

Occam’s Razor

Occam’s Razor is a rule of thumb credited to the Scholastic philosopher William of Ockham. He postulated, “When faced with two competing theories, the simpler explanation is usually correct.” In other words, the explanation that requires the fewest number of assumptions is typically correct.

For example, suppose you view a video of a magician who makes an airplane disappear while it is encircled by 100 witnesses holding hands. After the plane vanishes, none of the witnesses know how the plane suddenly disappeared.

By using Occam’s Razor, you would be safe to assume that the witnesses surrounding the plane were part of the illusion. The vanishing was most likely designed for the television viewers to experience, not the “witnesses” who were in on the trick.

Let’s take another example. A student fails a math exam. Is it more reasonable to assume the student didn’t study or that evil math book publishers printed the wrong answers in the study guide as a joke?

Here’s one for readers who are dog lovers. You come home from work, and the trash can in your kitchen is tipped over — the trash is spread throughout the house. Is it more likely that your dog had a really great time while you were gone or that someone broke into your home, went through your trash, and then left

And a current example. A pandemic lands on Earth. Is it caused by a virus that spreads quickly, or is COVID-19 part of a strategy conceived by global elites — such as Bill Gates — to roll-out vaccinations with tracking chips that will later be activated by 5G, the technology used by cellular networks? (This is a theory that a third of our population currently believes in some form or another!)

7 Things We Can Do Now

1. Apply Occam’s Razor regularly when developing our beliefs and opinions. Usually, it’s best to keep things simple and not jump to elaborate conclusions without hard evidence.

2. Learn to entertain a thought without accepting it. In other words, be open enough to consider an idea before making a judgment on it rather than prejudging it as true or false or right or wrong without first having considered it.

3. Be open to the possibility that what you believe to be a fact could be wrong.

4. Get excited when you discover that what you believed was wrong (or not wholly accurate)! This is how humans grow and improve.

5. Be okay with finding out that you’re mistaken. It’s the ignorant human who holds onto a belief even after learning valid information that negates their belief.

6. Know that you do not have to be the person you were even a minute ago. Humans are designed to change and adapt. When you are provided with new evidence, be courageous. Think, “I used to believe that, but I was wrong. I learned new facts and now believe this.” Humans will respect you more.

7. Be nice to your fellow humans.