Which statement reflects the Law of Parsimony?

• A. The more complex theory is usually the most accurate.
• B. When two theories make the same predictions, the one that is simpler is more likely to be accurate
• C. The theory with the most data is always correct
• D. Unrelated theories cannot be compared

Answer: (B)

Parsimony, often called Occam’s Razor, favors the simplest explanation that accounts for the data. When two theories predict the same outcomes, the one with fewer assumptions is more likely to be correct because it’s easier to test and less prone to overfitting random variation.

That’s why the statement about choosing the simpler theory when predictions are the same reflects this principle. The other ideas—favoring more complex theories as inherently more accurate, equating more data with truth, or saying unrelated theories can’t be compared—don’t align with parsimony. In practice, simpler explanations that fit the observations are preferred until additional data justify a more complex account.