Honors Program
Honors in Philosophy
Date of Award
5-2013
Thesis Professor(s)
David Harker, Jeffrey Gold
Thesis Professor Department
Philosophy and Humanities
Thesis Reader(s)
Gary Henson, Allen Coates, Paul Tudico
Abstract
The principle of simplicity (parsimony) has long been invoked as a regulative principle that helps guide theory selection in science. However, it is unclear if there is justification for a globally applicable criterion of parsimony. This paper briefly reviews the salient features of what it means for something to be simple, as well as argues for simplicity as relevant only to a set of background assumptions.
Document Type
Honors Thesis - Withheld
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Gregg, C. R., "It's Not So Simple: The Role of Simplicity in Science and Theory." (2013). Undergraduate Honors Theses. Paper 97. https://dc.etsu.edu/honors/97
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.