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The Laws - 5/22/2006 4:10:55 AM   
Chaingang


Posts: 1727
Joined: 10/24/2005
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Ockham's Razor
"Explanations should never multiply causes without necessity. When two explanations are offered for a phenomenon, the simplest full explanation is preferable."

Hanlon's Razor:
"Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity."
[Edit: What about greed as a motive, or is that just stupid? Sir Bernard Ingham coined the phrase: "cock-up before conspiracy." Ockham's Razor would seem to fail here, so the question becomes do you think people are self-interested or merely stupid in the main. Most people stick with "Cui Bono" or "Who benefits?"]

Netiquette Variant of Hanlon's Razor:
"Do not attribute to malice anything that can be explained by stupidity; do not attribute to stupidity anything that can be explained by ignorance; and do not attribute to ignorance anything that can be explained as humor."

Murphy's Law:
"If anything can go wrong, it will or If it can happen, it will happen."

Cheops' Law:
"Everything takes longer and costs more."

Hofstadter's Law:
"It always takes longer than expected, even when taking Hofstadter's Law into account."
[Edit: this is recursive, so have fun!]

2nd Law of Thermodynamics:
"The entropy of an isolated system not at equilibrium will tend to increase over time, approaching a maximum value."

Sherlock Holmes' Aphorism:
"How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?"
[Edit: "No shit, Sherlock!"]

_____________________________

"Everything flows, nothing stands still." (Πάντα ῥεῖ καὶ οὐδὲν μένει) - Heraclitus
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RE: The Laws - 5/22/2006 10:29:13 AM   
NakedOnMyChain


Posts: 2431
Joined: 11/29/2004
From: Indiana
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: Chaingang

Hofstadter's Law:
"It always takes longer than expected, even when taking Hofstadter's Law into account."
[Edit: this is recursive, so have fun!]


INFINITE LOOP!  AAAAHHHHH!!!!!  Ow, my brain.

_____________________________

"Oh, it's torture, but I'm almost there."
~The Cure

"I ask for so little. Just fear me, love me, do as I say, and I will be your slave."
~The Labyrinth

(in reply to Chaingang)
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RE: The Laws - 5/22/2006 11:22:41 AM   
Lordandmaster


Posts: 10943
Joined: 6/22/2004
Status: offline
Ockham and Sherlock pretty much sum it up.  Hanlon is nice, but it's included in Ockham.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Chaingang

Ockham's Razor
"Explanations should never multiply causes without necessity. When two explanations are offered for a phenomenon, the simplest full explanation is preferable."

Hanlon's Razor:
"Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity."
[Edit: What about greed as a motive, or is that just stupid? Sir Bernard Ingham coined the phrase: "cock-up before conspiracy." Ockham's Razor would seem to fail here, so the question becomes do you think people are self-interested or merely stupid in the main. Most people stick with "Cui Bono" or "Who benefits?"]

Netiquette Variant of Hanlon's Razor:
"Do not attribute to malice anything that can be explained by stupidity; do not attribute to stupidity anything that can be explained by ignorance; and do not attribute to ignorance anything that can be explained as humor."

Murphy's Law:
"If anything can go wrong, it will or If it can happen, it will happen."

Cheops' Law:
"Everything takes longer and costs more."

Hofstadter's Law:
"It always takes longer than expected, even when taking Hofstadter's Law into account."
[Edit: this is recursive, so have fun!]

2nd Law of Thermodynamics:
"The entropy of an isolated system not at equilibrium will tend to increase over time, approaching a maximum value."

Sherlock Holmes' Aphorism:
"How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?"
[Edit: "No shit, Sherlock!"]

(in reply to Chaingang)
Profile   Post #: 3
RE: The Laws - 5/22/2006 12:14:56 PM   
Chaingang


Posts: 1727
Joined: 10/24/2005
Status: offline
Ockham is fine for explaining natural events. I don't think Ockham adequately accounts for human motives of a more subtle nature. Humans absolutely do things that are inelegant and not at all simple.

_____________________________

"Everything flows, nothing stands still." (Πάντα ῥεῖ καὶ οὐδὲν μένει) - Heraclitus

(in reply to Lordandmaster)
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