Related papers: Ockham's razor and the interpretations of quantum …
Mathematical models are an essential component of quantitative science. They generate predictions about the future, based on information available in the present. In the spirit of Occam's razor, simpler is better; should two models make…
This paper's first aim is to prove a modernized Occam's razor beyond a reasonable doubt. To summarize the main argument in one sentence: If we consider all possible, intelligible, scientific models of ever-higher complexity, democratically,…
This is a philosophy-intense physics article, or, if you wish, a physics-intense philosophy article. Also, being a mathematician, I tend to view the physics, in particular the essence of quantum physics, in emphasizing the mathematical…
Ensemble theories have received a lot of interest recently as a means of explaining a lot of the detailed complexity observed in reality by a vastly simpler description ``every possibility exists'' and a selection principle ({\em Anthropic…
This paper presents new experimental evidence against the utility of Occam's razor. A~systematic procedure is presented for post-processing decision trees produced by C4.5. This procedure was derived by rejecting Occam's razor and instead…
A system's apparent simplicity depends on whether it is represented classically or quantally. This is not so surprising, as classical and quantum physics are descriptive frameworks built on different assumptions that capture, emphasize, and…
Statistical learning theory is often associated with the principle of Occam's razor, which recommends a simplicity preference in inductive inference. This paper distills the core argument for simplicity obtainable from statistical learning…
The task of parametric model selection is cast in terms of a statistical mechanics on the space of probability distributions. Using the techniques of low-temperature expansions, we arrive at a systematic series for the Bayesian posterior…
Non-deductive reasoning, encompassing inductive and abductive reasoning, is essential in addressing complex real-world questions. One key feature of inductive and abductive reasoning is that there are many valid hypotheses; the simplest…
This article is a brief personal account of the past, present, and future of algorithmic randomness, emphasizing its role in inductive inference and artificial intelligence. It is written for a general audience interested in science and…
Occam's Razor tells us to pick the simplest model that fits our observations. In order to make sense of his process mathematically, we interpret it in the context of posets of functions. Our approach leads to some unusual new combinatorial…
This paper is the first of several parts introducing a new powerful algebra: the algebra of the pseudo-observables. This is a C*-algebra whose set is formed by formal expressions involving observables. The algebra is constructed by applying…
Prompted by misconceptions in the recent literature, we review the justifications for naturalness arguments and Occam's razor found in Bayesian statistics. We discuss the automatic Occam's razor that emerges in Bayesian formalism, bringing…
Memetic Computing is a subject in computer science which considers complex structures as the combination of simple agents, memes, whose evolutionary interactions lead to intelligent structures capable of problem-solving. This paper focuses…
We attempt to clarify the main conceptual issues in approaches to `objectification' or `measurement' in quantum mechanics which are based on superselection rules. Such approaches venture to derive the emergence of classical `reality'…
Scientists have long preferred the simplest possible explanation of their data. More re-cently, a worrying trend to favor complex interpretations has taken hold because they are perceived as more impactful.
In 2007 an international conference engaged a reflection on the present conditions for sciences and scientific practice, to initiate a dialogue between science, philosophy, epistemology and sociology. Starting from many examples taken from…
In real-life statistical data, it seems that conditional probabilities for the effect given their causes tend to be less complex and smoother than conditionals for causes, given their effects. We have recently proposed and tested methods…
An attempt to redefine science in the 21st century (BK Jennings, On the Nature of Science, Physics in Canada, 63(7) 2007) has abandoned traditional notions of natural law and objective reality, blurred the distinctions between natural…
For the paradigm of the quantum double-slit experiment (DSE), we apply Ockham's Razor to interpret quantum observations and to evaluate terminology associated with wave-particle duality. One finds that the Correspondence Principle (CP),…