thinking-occams-razor
Apply parsimony principle to prefer simpler explanations with fewer assumptions. Use for hypothesis selection in debugging, architecture decisions, and choosing between competing approaches.
Profile →npx skills add majiayu000/claude-skill-registry --skill thinking-occams-razor --agent claude-code
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for codex, cursor, copilot.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
# Occam's Razor (Parsimony Principle) ## Overview Occam's Razor, attributed to 14th-century philosopher William of Ockham, states: "Entities should not be multiplied beyond necessity" (entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem). When multiple explanations fit the evidence equally well, prefer the simplest one—the one with the fewest assumptions. **Core Principle:** Among competing hypotheses that explain the data equally well, select the one with the fewest assumptions. **Einstein's Corollary:** "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler." ## When to Use - Debugging: Multiple hypotheses could explain a bug - Architecture: Choosing between design approaches - Root cause analysis: Several causes seem plausible - Code review: Evaluating implementation complexity - Technical decisions: Selecting between tools or patterns - Incident response: Narrowing down failure causes Decision flow: ``` Multiple explanations exist? → yes → Do they explain the evidence equally? → yes → APPLY OCCAM'S RAZOR ↘ no → Prefer better explanation ↘ no → Use available explanation ``` ## The Process ### Step 1: Enumerate Competing Hypotheses List all plausible explanations for the
- Overview
- When to Use
- The Process
- Step 1: Enumerate Competing Hypotheses
- Step 2: Count the Assumptions
- Step 3: Verify Explanatory Power
- Step 4: Test Simplest First
- Step 5: Escalate Complexity Only When Needed
- Complexity Assessment Framework
- Counting Complexity
- Example Comparison
- When Simplicity Yields to Complexity
- 1. Evidence Demands It
- 2. Domain Complexity Is Irreducible
What does the thinking-occams-razor skill do?
Apply parsimony principle to prefer simpler explanations with fewer assumptions. Use for hypothesis selection in debugging, architecture decisions, and choosing between competing approaches.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add majiayu000/claude-skill-registry --skill thinking-occams-razor --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From majiayu000/claude-skill-registry, a repository with 534 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.