# Throw Out Your Assumptions

Occam's razor. If there are more assumptions, the probability of a
ll being simultaneously true will be lower, and the theory will be
less general and more complex. So choose a hypothesis that assumes
the least.

This razor is not only for theories. It is much more general. For
example, if a plan or a method requires many steps (Let's dismiss
the size of each step for simplicity), that means it assumes all t
he steps will succeed. Thus the probability of total success will
be lower than a simple plan or method. Similarily, if a tool has m
any parts, it is more likely to fail than a simple tool. And a too
l for specific situations is less useful than a tool for general s
ituations. Because it assumes more.

So this is more like a worldview. Maybe I could call it "logical m
inimalism". But the principle is simple. It's just "Cut your assum
ptions. Remove your assumptions. Throw out your assumptions."

Throw out your assumptions.