Editing 2541: Occam
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
+ | {{incomplete|Created by a BOT THAT ONLY CREATES ALL PAGES NOT MENTIONING ITSELF - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} | ||
− | This comic | + | This comic conflates three conceptual approaches. {{w|Occam's Razor}}, the {{w|Barber paradox}} and {{w|Murphy's Law}}. |
− | Occam's Razor | + | Occam's Razor suggests that explanations should not postulate more entities than necessary. It is often phrased as "the simplest explanation is usually correct". In philosophy a '{{w|Philosophical razor|razor}}' is a principle that conceptually cuts away alternative explanations. |
− | The Barber Paradox | + | The Barber Paradox is derived from {{w|Russell's paradox}}. A barber is known to shave (presumably with a physical razor) all men in his town who do not shave themselves, and none of the men who shave themselves. The paradox is whether the barber does or does not shave himself. One solution is for the barber not to be a man. |
− | Megan | + | Megan invokes Occam's Razor with the words "the simplest explanation" as well as Occam's name, and goes on to propose a solution to who shaves the barber. (Her proposal does not resolve the paradox, as someone other than the barber would shave someone who doesn't shave himself.) |
− | The | + | The titletext invokes Murphy's Law: the expectation that if anything can go wrong it will. Shaving with a {{w|Straight razor|cut-throat razor}} has failure modes including one explained by this name. |
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
− | + | {{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} | |
− | + | [One panel. Megan and Cueball walking.] | |
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+ | Megan: The simplest explanation is that Occam shaves the barber. | ||
{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
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