when faced with competing explanations for the same phenomenon, the simplest is likely the correct one.
when faced with competing explanations [obvious politeness vs subtextual passive aggression] for the same phenomenon [choice of wording for a rejection text], the simplest [the one that doesn’t involve the extra step of assuming malicious intent] is likely the correct one.
Please tell me why this is an incorrect usage of occam’s razor.
Occam’s razor shouldn’t be used as a rhetorical tool. An important requirement of using the razor is to have two hypotheses of equal possibility. Let’s say you are deciding whether to worship the flying spaghetti and practicing scientology. While they both have the same amount of proof, none. This seems like a good use for Occam’s razor, but it isn’t. You can’t assume that the simpler answer, the flying spaghetti monster, is correct because they are, by the premise of using the razor, equally plausible.
Even without this in mind, it makes no sense to choose the simper hypothesis. If you had no knowledge or data of atoms, so both earlier models and current models should f the atom seem equally possible. Occam’s razor claims that the simpler earlier models are true, but we now know the more complex current models are truer. The world is complicated, too complicated to assume simple answers
Instead, Occam’s razor is used in science to decide which hypothesis to test first. You choose the simpler hypothesis, because it is easier to prove. For example, if I had recently invented a machine that can answer any yea or no questions truthfully, the flying spaghetti monster theorum would be easier to test, so you should test that first. It is a time management tool
Actually, one last thing:
when faced with competing explanations [obvious politeness vs subtextual passive aggression] for the same phenomenon [choice of wording for a rejection text], the simplest [the one that doesn’t involve the extra step of assuming malicious intent] is likely the correct one.
Please tell me why this is an incorrect usage of occam’s razor.
Occam’s razor shouldn’t be used as a rhetorical tool. An important requirement of using the razor is to have two hypotheses of equal possibility. Let’s say you are deciding whether to worship the flying spaghetti and practicing scientology. While they both have the same amount of proof, none. This seems like a good use for Occam’s razor, but it isn’t. You can’t assume that the simpler answer, the flying spaghetti monster, is correct because they are, by the premise of using the razor, equally plausible.
Even without this in mind, it makes no sense to choose the simper hypothesis. If you had no knowledge or data of atoms, so both earlier models and current models should f the atom seem equally possible. Occam’s razor claims that the simpler earlier models are true, but we now know the more complex current models are truer. The world is complicated, too complicated to assume simple answers
Instead, Occam’s razor is used in science to decide which hypothesis to test first. You choose the simpler hypothesis, because it is easier to prove. For example, if I had recently invented a machine that can answer any yea or no questions truthfully, the flying spaghetti monster theorum would be easier to test, so you should test that first. It is a time management tool