Occam’s razor recommends that, when faced with two equally good hypotheses, choose the simpler. The principle is attributed to 14th-century English logician, theologian and Franciscan friar, William of Ockham.

Said another way, Occam’s razor encourages the reduction of unnecessary elements in a design or system to achieve maximum simplicity without compromising functionality.

Scientists use Occam’s razor as a heuristic to guide development of theoretical models.However, be warned, those that live by Occam’s razor will also perish from it.