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Philosophical razors: cutting through life's complexities [1]

['Yoy Luadha']

Date: 2024-04-01  

Someone going by Detour Explainer posted this great video that collects many of the clever "razors" in one place, starting with everyone's favorite — Occam's. But there are many more — some really insightful, some just really funny.

For the uninitiated, what's a "razor?" Wikipedia has a simple, clear definition:

In philosophy, a razor is a principle or rule of thumb that allows one to eliminate ("shave off") unlikely explanations for a phenomenon, or avoid unnecessary actions.

My favorite is Hitchen's razor, named after the late, great atheist Christopher Hitchens:

"What can be asserted without evidence can also be dismissed without evidence."

That razor cuts!

Hanlon's razor is another classic:

"Never attribute to malice that which is more easily explained by stupidity, carelessness or laziness."

I don't know who Hanlon was, but he really understood humans.

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