Ockham's Razors

Ockham's Razors PDF Author: Elliott Sober
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 131636853X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 325

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Book Description
Ockham's razor, the principle of parsimony, states that simpler theories are better than theories that are more complex. It has a history dating back to Aristotle and it plays an important role in current physics, biology, and psychology. The razor also gets used outside of science - in everyday life and in philosophy. This book evaluates the principle and discusses its many applications. Fascinating examples from different domains provide a rich basis for contemplating the principle's promises and perils. It is obvious that simpler theories are beautiful and easy to understand; the hard problem is to figure out why the simplicity of a theory should be relevant to saying what the world is like. In this book, the ABCs of probability theory are succinctly developed and put to work to describe two 'parsimony paradigms' within which this problem can be solved.

Ockham's Razors

Ockham's Razors PDF Author: Elliott Sober
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 131636853X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 325

Get Book Here

Book Description
Ockham's razor, the principle of parsimony, states that simpler theories are better than theories that are more complex. It has a history dating back to Aristotle and it plays an important role in current physics, biology, and psychology. The razor also gets used outside of science - in everyday life and in philosophy. This book evaluates the principle and discusses its many applications. Fascinating examples from different domains provide a rich basis for contemplating the principle's promises and perils. It is obvious that simpler theories are beautiful and easy to understand; the hard problem is to figure out why the simplicity of a theory should be relevant to saying what the world is like. In this book, the ABCs of probability theory are succinctly developed and put to work to describe two 'parsimony paradigms' within which this problem can be solved.

Occam's Razor

Occam's Razor PDF Author: T. R. Ryden
Publisher: Beaufort Books
ISBN: 0825308089
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 421

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Book Description
When ancient artifacts discovered in the Great Pyramid of Giza shed new light on a DNA pattern identified by a world-renowned molecular biologist, venture capitalist, James Anderson, is thrust into an action-packed road of scientific exploration and discovery. An unlikely participant in the events that begin to unfold, Anderson and his team, pursued by those who don’t want this new information out, realize they have stumbled upon the greatest and most terrifying cover-up in the history of the human race. Occam’s Razor is a chilling speculative fiction thriller which ties together several well-known, and some not so famous controversial theories concerning alien visitation, human evolution, ancient legends, and the cosmos. The novel explains how it could be very plausible to imagine that the powers that be may already know about an impending disaster and caught between all this are the novel’s unfortunate characters as they struggle to figure out what to do in the face of unstoppable catastrophe.

Life Is Simple

Life Is Simple PDF Author: Johnjoe McFadden
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 1541620437
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 358

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Book Description
"In short, Life Is Simple is enthralling."--Michael Blastland, Prospect A biologist argues that simplicity is the guiding principle of the universe Centuries ago, the principle of Ockham’s razor changed our world by showing simpler answers to be preferable and more often true. In Life Is Simple, scientist Johnjoe McFadden traces centuries of discoveries, taking us from a geocentric cosmos to quantum mechanics and DNA, arguing that simplicity has revealed profound answers to the greatest mysteries. This is no coincidence. From the laws that keep a ball in motion to those that govern evolution, simplicity, he claims, has shaped the universe itself. And in McFadden’s view, life could only have emerged by embracing maximal simplicity, making the fundamental law of the universe a cosmic form of natural selection that favors survival of the simplest. Recasting both the history of science and our universe’s origins, McFadden transforms our understanding of ourselves and our world.

Coding Ockham's Razor

Coding Ockham's Razor PDF Author: Lloyd Allison
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319764330
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 177

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Book Description
This book explores inductive inference using the minimum message length (MML) principle, a Bayesian method which is a realisation of Ockham's Razor based on information theory. Accompanied by a library of software, the book can assist an applications programmer, student or researcher in the fields of data analysis and machine learning to write computer programs based upon this principle. MML inference has been around for 50 years and yet only one highly technical book has been written about the subject. The majority of research in the field has been backed by specialised one-off programs but this book includes a library of general MML–based software, in Java. The Java source code is available under the GNU GPL open-source license. The software library is documented using Javadoc which produces extensive cross referenced HTML manual pages. Every probability distribution and statistical model that is described in the book is implemented and documented in the software library. The library may contain a component that directly solves a reader's inference problem, or contain components that can be put together to solve the problem, or provide a standard interface under which a new component can be written to solve the problem. This book will be of interest to application developers in the fields of machine learning and statistics as well as academics, postdocs, programmers and data scientists. It could also be used by third year or fourth year undergraduate or postgraduate students.

Ockham’s Razor

Ockham’s Razor PDF Author: Ricardus Sapiens
Publisher: Europa Edizioni
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 539

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Book Description
ENTIA NON SUNT MULTIPLICANDA PRAETER NECESSITATEM. – Entities are not to be multiplied beyond necessity, the methodological principle underlying scientific thought known as OCKHAM'S RAZOR which is also the title of this collection of four stories in the form of direct speech, consistent with the requirements of logical possibility. It is presented as a programme of ongoing assignments given to a group of philosophy students (of varying ages) by their Professor, to be conducted as a collective endeavour. The stories, or dramatic tableaux, woven together by a common thread, interlace the realms of art and philosophy inextricably, forging an intricate bond. Ockham’s Razor, poised at the intersection of methodological rigour and narrative splendour, unfurls as a circular odyssey. It is a journey of profound reflection upon weighty themes, including the enigma of the human condition and the nature of truth itself. In its essence, Ockham's Razor metamorphoses into a carousel, a cyclical excursion that finds resonance in the immortal words of T.S. Eliot, we shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring – the end of the book in this case - will be to arrive where we began and know the place for the first time. Ockham's Razor is a book for everyone and especially suitable for book clubs, for a collective experience just like that of the characters. Marcus Aurelius Antoninus has remarked in one of the notes that he addressed to himself (6.44): “As Antoninus my city and country is Rome, as a man [a human being] it is the world.” It is a statement that the author strongly identifies with. Ricardus Sapiens (a 'nom de plume') was born in Margaret River, a country town in the southwest of Western Australia, and has lived in Australia all his life, apart from several short trips to Russia. Having been trained, originally, as a general music teacher he has acquired much experience in the areas of music composition, music teaching - private piano teaching especially - and music history. Two pieces of his for orchestra have been performed publicly - one by the WASO (Western Australian Symphony Orchestra) and the other by the Fremantle Orchestra. He understands Homeric and Classical Greek and Latin a little and is familiar with several other languages but speaks none of them fluently. He currently resides, with his partner, Louise Pain, in Melbourne and is working on a second book, MORE LIMPID THAN THE DAWN. (Ricardus Sapiens is a Latinized version of Richard Wise.)

Ockham Explained

Ockham Explained PDF Author: Rondo Keele
Publisher: Open Court Publishing
ISBN: 0812696506
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 198

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Book Description
Ockham Explained is an important and much-needed resource on William of Ockham, one of the most important philosophers of the Middle Ages. His eventful and controversial life was marked by sharp career moves and academic and ecclesiastical battles. At 28, Ockham was a conservative English theologian focused obsessively on the nature of language, but by 40, he had transformed into a fugitive friar, accused of heresy, and finally protected by the German emperor as he composed incendiary treatises calling for strong limits on papal authority. This book provides a thorough grounding in Ockham's life and his many contributions to philosophy. It begins with an overview of the philosopher's youth and the Aristotelian philosophy he studied as a boy. Subsequent chapters cover his ideas on language and logic; his metaphysics and vaunted "razor," as well as his opponents' "anti-razor" theories; his invention of the church-state separation; and much more. The concluding chapter sums up Ockham's compelling philosophical personality and explains his modern appeal.

Explanation and Its Limits

Explanation and Its Limits PDF Author: Dudley Knowles
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521395984
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 332

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Book Description
This collection of new essays explores the nature of explanation and causality. It provides a stimulating and wide ranging debate on one of the central issues that has concerned philosophers and scientists alike--the epistemological nature of their enquiries. The volume not only sheds light on some of the general questions involved, but also addresses specific problems involved in explanation in different fields--physics, biology, psychology and the social sciences. Explanation and its Limits is an up-to-date, sharply focused and comprehensive review for all philosophers, scientists and social scientists interested in methodology.

Ockham's Razor

Ockham's Razor PDF Author: Alan Michael Williams
Publisher: Booksurge Publishing
ISBN: 9781439235270
Category : Homosexuality
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
A gay, Mormon love story. Author website: amwilliams.com

The Great Mental Models, Volume 1

The Great Mental Models, Volume 1 PDF Author: Shane Parrish
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0593719972
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 209

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Book Description
Discover the essential thinking tools you’ve been missing with The Great Mental Models series by Shane Parrish, New York Times bestselling author and the mind behind the acclaimed Farnam Street blog and “The Knowledge Project” podcast. This first book in the series is your guide to learning the crucial thinking tools nobody ever taught you. Time and time again, great thinkers such as Charlie Munger and Warren Buffett have credited their success to mental models–representations of how something works that can scale onto other fields. Mastering a small number of mental models enables you to rapidly grasp new information, identify patterns others miss, and avoid the common mistakes that hold people back. The Great Mental Models: Volume 1, General Thinking Concepts shows you how making a few tiny changes in the way you think can deliver big results. Drawing on examples from history, business, art, and science, this book details nine of the most versatile, all-purpose mental models you can use right away to improve your decision making and productivity. This book will teach you how to: Avoid blind spots when looking at problems. Find non-obvious solutions. Anticipate and achieve desired outcomes. Play to your strengths, avoid your weaknesses, … and more. The Great Mental Models series demystifies once elusive concepts and illuminates rich knowledge that traditional education overlooks. This series is the most comprehensive and accessible guide on using mental models to better understand our world, solve problems, and gain an advantage.

Ockham's Razor

Ockham's Razor PDF Author: Bill Haworth
Publisher: DCL Publications
ISBN: 1921347589
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 50

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Book Description
Emergency services and a priest try to talk down a distraught man from a wet church roof. A heated discussion ensues giving rise to doubts of all their sanity. A TV news team attempt to cover the unfolding story while less sympathetic members of the gathering crowd place bets on the outcome. Despite the inherent dangers, the situation is resolved safely--the outcome having a comic if somewhat surreal ending.