re: #75 austin_blue

When I see people twisting themselves into pretzel logic, I am reminded of this simple principle.

Occam’s razor

Occam’s razor (also Ockham’s razor or Ocham’s razor; Latin: lex parsimoniae “law of parsimony”) is the problem-solving principle that the simplest solution tends to be the correct one. When presented with competing hypotheses to solve a problem, one should select the solution with the fewest assumptions. The idea is attributed to William of Ockham (c. 1287-1347), who was an English Franciscan friar, scholastic philosopher, and theologian.

If it waddles like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it is in all probability a goddamned fucking duck.

Alex Jones and many conservative pundits reject this fundamental concept.

Also sometimes expressed as “when you hear hoofbeats, don’t look for zebras.”