Popularly, the principle is sometimes inaccurately paraphrased as 'The simplest explanation is usually the best one.' Attributed to William of Ockham, a 14th-century English philosopher and theologian, it is frequently cited as Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem, which translates as 'Entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity', although Occam never used these exact words. It is also known as the principle of parsimony or the law of parsimony ( Latin: lex parsimoniae). In philosophy, Occam's razor (also spelled Ockham's razor or Ocham's razor Latin: novacula Occami) is the problem-solving principle that recommends searching for explanations constructed with the smallest possible set of elements. For the Australian radio program, see Radio National. For the aerial theatre company, see Ockham's Razor Theatre Company.
