It’s a philosophical cliff-hanger you’ll have to read Meditations to find out how it ends.ĥ. So, based on this line, Descartes knew he existed, though he wasn’t sure if he had a body. On the heels of believing in himself, Descartes asked, What am I? His answer: a thinking thing ( res cogitans) as opposed to a physical thing extended in three-dimensional space ( res extensa). Upon the recognition that “I think,” Descartes concluded that “I am.” Although he could be wrong about what he was thinking, that he was thinking was undeniable. “I think therefore I am” – René Descartes (1596 – 1650)ĭescartes began his philosophy by doubting everything in order to figure out what he could know with absolute certainty. Yet Hobbes’ claim was that these very chains were absolutely crucial in protecting us from one another. No doubt the state imposes on our liberty in an overwhelming way. Human nature is bad: we’ll prey on one another in the most vicious ways. Whereas Rousseau said, “Man is born free, and he is everywhere in chains,” Hobbes believed we find ourselves living a savage, impossible life without education and the protection of the state. Referring to the original state of nature, a hypothetical past before civilization, Hobbes saw no reason to be nostalgic. “The life of man solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” – Thomas Hobbes (1588 – 1679)
The ultimate irony of Ockham’s razor may be that some have used it to prove God is unnecessary to the explanation of the universe, an idea Ockham the Franciscan priest would reject. Ockham would certainly nod approvingly at the ongoing attempt to formulate a grand unified theory, a single force that encompasses all four. Scientists currently speak of four forces in the universe: gravity, the electromagnetic force, the strong nuclear force, and the weak nuclear force. “Entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily” – William of Ockham (1285 - 1349?)Ĭommonly known as Ockham’s razor, the idea here is that in judging among competing philosophical or scientific theories, all other things being equal, we should prefer the simplest theory. How many times have you bought something fancy and complicated, only for it to break and then cost you the earth or fix or replace? When a simple version of the same item may not have been as “cool”, but it lasts you for years and years and years.2. Simplicity Means Fewer Defect and Mistakesīy reducing things to their most simple form, we’re also reducing the opportunity for mistakes, breakages and defects. Then, but seeing what they like or don’t like, and also seeing whether anyone actually cares enough to buy it, you are able to determine whether to build more, create more features, or to pivot into a new or different idea.
An MVP is the most minimal, usable feature that you can build and release to your customers so they can see, feel and touch it. This is the also concept of the Minimum Viable Product or MVP from the Lean Startup. Others may not be so lenient – they may instead consider it just plain stupid. In other words, if you are using a million dollars to build a product when it could be built for $1,000, he considers this vain. Not only has he said that everything should be as simple as possible, but he actually states that it is simply vain to do more what can be done with less. This quote takes William of Ockham’s thoughts a step further. He is considered to be one of the major figures of medieval thought and is most commonly known for Occam’s razor, the principle that everything should be as simple as possible, but no simpler. William of Ockham was an English friar, philosopher, and theologian.
Have you heard this leadership quote from the creator of “Occam’s Razor”, William of Ockham? “It is vain to do more what can be done with less.” – William of Ockham
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