Occam’s razor
Etymology
Named for the fourteenth-century English Franciscan friar and logician William of Ockham, who argued against multiplying entities without necessity — though he never wrote the famous Latin slogan often attributed to him, and the underlying idea predates him. "Razor" refers to the metaphor of shaving away needless assumptions. It is a heuristic, not a law: the simplest explanation is not guaranteed to be true, only a sensible default.
noun phrase · /OK-umz RAY-zer/
The principle that, among competing explanations, the one requiring the fewest assumptions is usually the best starting point.
What it names
A working discipline for cutting through speculation: prefer the simplest account that fits the facts before reaching for elaborate ones.
Example
Before assuming a coordinated cover-up, apply Occam’s razor — a missed email and a busy week explain the silence just as well.
Related idea
Hanlon’s razor is a specialized cousin aimed at motives; Occam’s razor is the general principle of favoring the least elaborate explanation.