Quote:
Originally posted by OnyxCougar
Occam's Razor, according to Webster's online:
Date: circa 1837
: a scientific and philosophic rule that entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily which is interpreted as requiring that the simplest of competing theories be preferred to the more complex or that explanations of unknown phenomena be sought first in terms of known quantities
Meaning, all things being equal, the simplest explanation us usually the right one.
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Or:
"Entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily."
Here's a history of Occam's razor. It was originally used to suggest that one cannot use reason alone to deduce God's existence.
Anyway, the simplest explanation is not always the one that is easiest to write. If it were, then Occam's razor would always provide the same answer:
Magic! Why does the sun come up?
Magic! Why is grass green?
Magic! Why is the sky blue?
Magic! How did my prize sheep end up in my neighbor's flock?
Magic!
The entities Occam wants to slice away are theoretical constructs that must be taken on faith. One way to apply it to evolution is as follows: microevolution is obvious, known, demonstrated, and generally accepted. It explains how one species can change over time, and gain and lose traits. We have fossil evidence that many years ago there were animals that no longer exist, and there are many animals that exist now that have no evidence of existing earlier than a certain point many years ago. But there are structural similarities between some of the extinct animals and some of the current animals.
I'll use the non-scientific version of the word 'theory' here: We have two theories:
A) Microevolution happens as observed, but God does the big changes.
B) Micro- and macro- evolution are the same process in different timeframes and environmental pressures.
Theory B is the one with fewer entities, and therefore the one Occam points to.