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This comic invokes three philosophical topics: {{w|Occam's Razor}}, the {{w|Barber paradox|Barber Paradox}}, and {{w|Murphy's Law}}. | This comic invokes three philosophical topics: {{w|Occam's Razor}}, the {{w|Barber paradox|Barber Paradox}}, and {{w|Murphy's Law}}. | ||
− | Occam's Razor is the principle that explanations should not postulate more entities than necessary. It is often phrased as "the simplest explanation is best". The word '{{w|Philosophical razor|razor}}' is intended to | + | Occam's Razor is the principle that explanations should not postulate more entities than necessary. It is often phrased as "the simplest explanation is best". The word '{{w|Philosophical razor|razor}}' is intended to invoke the image of shaving off superfluous elements. |
The Barber Paradox postulates a town barber who shaves all those, and those only, in the town who don’t shave themselves, and asks whether the barber shaves himself. The paradox is that if he does, then he shouldn’t, and if he doesn’t, then he should. It is an attempt at a concrete, real-world analog of {{w|Russell's paradox|Russell's Paradox}} in set theory. | The Barber Paradox postulates a town barber who shaves all those, and those only, in the town who don’t shave themselves, and asks whether the barber shaves himself. The paradox is that if he does, then he shouldn’t, and if he doesn’t, then he should. It is an attempt at a concrete, real-world analog of {{w|Russell's paradox|Russell's Paradox}} in set theory. |