njschro's blog

“Plurality must never be posited without necessity” ~ William Ockham

This is what scholar William Kneale found in Ockham’s work. Reflection on this statement is brought about because I fancy myself a reflective person. I enjoy looking to my past and seeing how I made the best decisions by eliminating those options that are too involved. Although Berkun gives many helpful tips, inspired by over 15 project managers; I see his reference to Occam’s Razor as most justifiable.

I embrace Occam’s Razor on many occasions. There have been entire works written about this method and it is alive and well in many academic and business settings. In my life, the concept is most often exercised during work hours, homework, and within most multifaceted assignments that span long periods. I also utilize this idea when reading philosophical concepts – usually analytical ones. I especially like to use it when reading the Christian Bible, Koran, Book of Mormon, etc.

I find the connection with Sherlock Holme’s statement “If you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth” and decision making a little loose, but I see what Berkun is trying to say. Doyle’s fictional Sherlock Holmes used this statement during the early-day CSI. The reductionist approach was used for finding criminals at large – not a decision. Although eliminating unnecessary details contained in constructing a scenario – the decision making the Berkun writes about operates in a different arena.

Since there is a great deal of thinking involved in this approach, I think Berkun accentuates Occam’s concept by incorporating the visual (below). This is a good image for understanding time allowance in reflection.