>>Dear Bill,
(Did you intend this for me or the reflector?)
>
>[clip]
>>A final comment on Noll's use of the term "simple" in association with the
>>young-earth theory. William of Occam, a late medieval philosopher, developed
>>an intellectual rule-of-thumb that became known as Occam's razor. His
>>principle was that in the absence of decisive evidence or argument, the
>>simpler theory is more likely to be correct.
>
>This has not been formally demonstrated. The simpler interpretation is not
>necessarily MORE likely to be correct, as it is simply a convenient way of
>adding arbitrary weight to one argument over the other. It helps makes
>decisions as to which theory to favor, but has no legitimate claim over the
>validity of any theory.
I totally agree. You're not quoting me here, but Howard Killion, who
posted some comments on my review of The "Scandal of the Evangelical Mind"
to the reflector. The value of Occam's razor is that it cautions us
against formulating overly complex explanations. The simplest explanation
may be wrong. But it's easier to review a simple argument for flaws than a
complex one.
And a theory built of simple, elegant building blocks is easier to
understand than one built of overly complex building blocks.
Bill Hamilton | Vehicle Systems Research
GM R&D Center | Warren, MI 48090-9055
810 986 1474 (voice) | 810 986 3003 (FAX)
hamilton@gmr.com (office) | whamilto@mich.com (home)