Dear HR,

Dear Mr. Philosophy Fan,

Thank you for the question. William of Occam, who was an English Franciscan friar and philosopher, lived in Surrey, England from 1287 to 1347. He lived during a time of significant intellectual and political controversies. As a philosopher, his most prominent contribution to philosophy is what’s now known as Occam’s razor.

The original wording of the principle is stated as “Entities should not be multiplied without necessity.” In other words, it fundamentally means “The simplest solution is most likely the right one.” The general concept of the philosophy means that as more inputs, speculations, or dependencies are accumulated in the analysis or the solution to a problem, the more complicated it becomes.

Assuming everything is equal, the simpler solution should be preferred as it contains fewer intricacies. With fewer complexities, it essentially means that it requires less effort and fewer chances for mistakes. The two central applications of Occam’s razor are process improvement and problem-solving.

Read more about it here: Occam's Razor For Business Problem-Solving And Decision-Making