Avoid unnecessary complexity

In philosophy, a razor is a rule of thumb that allows you to rule out unlikely explanations. As rules of thumb, razors have broad use, but they are not reliable in every situation.

One famous razor is Occam’s. William of Ockham was an English Franciscan friar who lived around the late 1200s or 1300s.

Occam’s razor states that “entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily.” It is often paraphrased as “the simplest explanation is most likely the right one.”

Occam’s razor can be a useful decision-making tool. For example, it can help you choose between equally-compelling explanations of an event. The simpler explanation—the one with fewer assumptions—is often the correct explanation.

Occam’s razor also points to a broader principle: avoid unnecessary complexity.

This has wide use. When you remove unnecessary complexity from something, that something improves.