---
title: "Occam's Razor"
description: "A heuristic favoring the explanation that requires the fewest assumptions when competing explanations fit the evidence equally well."
last_updated: "2026-08-02"
---

# Occam's Razor

*Also known as: parsimony*

A heuristic favoring the explanation that requires the fewest assumptions when competing explanations fit the evidence equally well.

*Example: Your keys are missing: 'I left them in my coat' beats 'a burglar broke in, took only my keys, and left,' with no extra evidence.*

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