Occam's razor leads to first principles thinking

Generally stated as “the simplest explanation with the fewest variables is most likely to be the correct one.” Meaning: if you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not unicorns; if you see giant footprints in the snow, think “person on snowshoes,“ not “abominable snowman.”

Occam’s razor cuts through the clutter that often gets in the way of first-principles thinking. The most elegant theories rest on the fewest assumptions. The most elegant solutions, the rocket scientist David Murray writes, “use the least number of components to solve the greatest number of problems.”^[1]

#cognition

See also:

• First Principles thinking allows you to see the obvious hiding in plain sight
• Hanlon's razor avoids paranoia and ideology