Scientific Definition
Prefer the simplest explanation consistent with the evidence.
Plain-English Definition
Prefer the simplest explanation consistent with the evidence.
Feynman Explanation
The simplest story that fits the data is usually the story.
Core Principle
Prefer the simplest explanation consistent with the evidence.
Mechanisms
Pending editorial review.
Prefer the simplest explanation consistent with the evidence.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Cutting through political over-theorizing in postmortems.
Inputs (Triggers)
Pending editorial review.
Outputs (Behaviors)
Pending editorial review.
Behavioral Signature
The simplest story that fits the data is usually the story.
Examples
- Sales are down because demand is down. Not because of a 7-part conspiracy.
- Cutting through political over-theorizing in postmortems.
Pending editorial review.
Famous Experiments
Pending editorial review.
Design Principles
- Start with the boring explanation. Earn the complex one.
Measurement Approaches
Pending editorial review.
Evidence
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
The Perverse Incentive Lens™
How this behavior is exploited — and how to redesign around it.
- Start with the boring explanation. Earn the complex one.
Pending editorial review.
Pending editorial review.
Interactive Mini Network
Click any neighbor to re-center the graph and follow the threads of connection.
Knowledge Graph Neighbors
Auto-linked to the rest of the Human Behavior Taxonomy by family, domain, dimension, and shared keywords.
What cannot be settled by experiment is not worth debating.
What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.
Deriving general rules from specific examples; the leap from instance to concept.
The brain evolved to reason adaptively, not always truthfully, to reduce the cost of errors.
We solve problems by adding, even when subtracting would be better.
Assuming that if one option is true, another must be false, when both can be true.
Presuming a purposeful actor behind events that may have no actor at all.
A finite set of well-defined instructions for solving a problem or performing a computation.
Every model simplifies reality; some are still useful.
Researchers favor conclusions aligned with their school, team, or sponsor.
Using personal stories or isolated examples instead of evidence.
Claiming something is true or better because most people believe it.