Simplicity
Simplicity is the property, condition, or quality of being simple or uncombined. It often connotes
beauty. Simple things are usually easier to explain and understand than complex ones.
According to
Occam's razor, all other things being equal, the
simplest theory is the most likely to be true -- hence the importance of the concept of
simplicity in
epistemology. According to
Thomas Aquinas, God is
infinitely simple.
In MCS cognition theory, simplicity is the property of a domain which requires very little information to be exhaustively described. This is the contrary of complexity.
Simplicity is sometimes used as a synonym or euphemism for
stupidity.
Simplicity in the philosophy of science
Simplicity is a metascientific criterion by which to evaluate competing theories. See also Occam's Razor and references.
See also
References
- Craig, E. Ed. (1998) Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy. London, Routledge. simplicity (in Scientific Theory) p.780-783\n* Dancy, J. and Ernest Sosa, Ed.(1999) A Companion to Epistemology. Malden, Massachusetts, Blackwell Publishers Inc. simplicity p. 477-479.\n* Edwards, P., Ed. (1967). The Encyclopedia of Philosophy. New York, The Macmillan Company. simplicity p.445-448.\n* Kim, J. a. E. S., Ed.(2000). A Companion to Metaphysics. Oxford, Blackwell Publishers. simplicity,parsimony p.461-462.\n* Newton-Smith, W. H., Ed. (2001). A Companion to the Philosophy of Science. Malden, Massachusetts, Blackwell Publishers Ltd. simplicity p.433-441.\n* Sarkar, S. Ed. (2002). The Philosophy of Science--An Encyclopedia. London, Routledge. simplicity\n* Wilson, R. A. a. K., Frank C., (1999). The MIT Encyclopedia of the Cognitive Sciences. Cambridge, Massachusetts, The MIT Press. parsimony and simplicity p.627-629.
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