Living in the Real Uncertain World

I have previously outlined why we can't know any 100% certain truths. Also we all can remember some more embarrassing cases where we have rather crassly leap to totally unjustified belief. But what can we do about this reality of our existence? We can't know the certain truth about most things. I believe that, far … Continue reading Living in the Real Uncertain World →

Weasel Words

Many individuals, not least in the media, use ambiguous, inexplicit "Weasel Words" such as: may, might, could, can, scientists have shown that… They all have the same effect of presenting as true things that are not necessarily valid. For example newspapers, particularly popular tabloids, often run articles along the lines of: Alcohol Kills Studies at … Continue reading Weasel Words →

Vox Populi

Vox Populi is literally the voice of the people and refers to attempts to ascertain what the people think about specific matters. It is also referred to as the opinion of the man in the street or the man on the Clapham omnibus. Presumably such formulations include women! This is a form of support for … Continue reading Vox Populi →

The Democratic Fallacy

In a democratic society we abide by the fundamental rule of the majority and this has great advantages: Some decisions must be made on a society wide basis and democracy allows for the participation, and thus hopefully more commitment, of all the citizens.In most cases an elected group are given powers to make these decisions.They … Continue reading The Democratic Fallacy →

Nothing is impossible to someone who doesn’t have to do it.

I commonly observe it that having no responsibility for implementation leads to impossible plans. In meetings when plans are being discussed, often those without the responsibility for their implementation will argue for much tougher targets and objectives (to the point of fantasy) than those that have to do it. Often in relationships one partner will suggest a plan … Continue reading Nothing is impossible to someone who doesn’t have to do it. →

Hanlon’s Razor

Hanlon's Razor, as a term, is a bit of a spoof on Ockham's razor (see previous post), but this light-hearted presentation conceals an insidious tendency. Hanlon's Razor states: It is unwise to attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity. It is common to jump to an explanation of events by attributing bad faith, … Continue reading Hanlon’s Razor →

Best or Least Worse 2

In my previous blog "Best or Least Worse 1", I argued that many problems that confront us in the real world do not have simple solutions and that in reality we are searching for the least worse solution rather than trying to optimise and achieve a perfect solution. Today I want to further consider two … Continue reading Best or Least Worse 2 →

Best or Least Worse 1

In life we often seek to solve problems and do the best we can. Often we, others and the media couch a discussion as a need to do our best, solving problems and achieving success. We think of solutions as panaceas for the problems that confront us. But is this approach realistic or make any … Continue reading Best or Least Worse 1 →

Intuition: Its Pros and Cons

It is a common human failing that we assume we have knowledge of facts that we can't possibly have. We often describe this is as our intuition. Sometimes we leap to a conclusion and when we look for evidence we find there is ample, well-founded sources to support this leap. In this way we could … Continue reading Intuition: Its Pros and Cons →

Ockam’s Razor

Ockam's Razor is normally stated: "Among competing hypotheses, the hypothesis with the fewest assumptions should be preferred." Also known by the Latin "lex parsimoniae" the heuristic is attributed to William of Ockham (also Occam) who was a Franciscan friar (1287–1347) and an influential medieval philosopher (see first link below). However, the form of words attributed … Continue reading Ockam’s Razor →