Rigorous Reasoning

Concept · Best Explanation

Simplicity

A virtue of a hypothesis that explains the observations without introducing unnecessary assumptions or entities.

Why it matters

All else equal, simpler hypotheses are preferred — but not at the cost of scope or fit.

Where this shows up

Units and lessons using this concept

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Related

Other concepts in Best Explanation

Argument to the Best ExplanationBest of a Bad LotCoherenceExplanatory FitExplanatory ScopeHypothesisObservation