• DOI:10.1007/BF00485426
Corpus ID: 46962297

A counterpart of Occam's razor in pure and applied mathematics ontological uses

@article{Menger1960ACO,
  title={A counterpart of Occam's razor in pure and applied mathematics ontological uses},
  author={Karl Menger},
  journal={Synthese},
  year={1960},
  volume={12},
  pages={415-428}
}

Karl Menger

Published 1960

Synthese

One of the most efficient methodological tools, Occam's celebrated razor, is the maxim that it is vain to do with more what can be done with fewer. This principle is primarily ontological: Entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity. But the razor may also be construed as a semantic maxim opposing the use of synonyms. Occam's principle is often called the Law of Parsimony. A thorough examination of science and mathematics reveals that they include only few superfluous entities but that, on… CONTINUE READING

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