tlhIngan-Hol Archive: Fri Dec 18 20:43:02 1998
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Re: Problem Words
- From: "David Trimboli" <[email protected]>
- Subject: Re: Problem Words
- Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1998 18:01:19 -0500
From: Steven Boozer <[email protected]>
>>From the Britannica Online:
>
> http://www.eb.com:180/cgi-bin/g?DocF=micro/434/46.html
>
> Ockham's razor
> also spelled OCCAM'S RAZOR, also called LAW OF ECONOMY, or LAW OF
> PARSIMONY, principle stated by William of Ockham (1285-1347/49),
> a scholastic, that *non sunt multiplicanda entia praeter
> necessitatem*; i.e., entities are not to be multiplied beyond
> necessity.
The compilers of the Brittanica Encyclopedia should consider amending this
entry to include: "Most Americans who take an interest in science-fiction
now tout an incomplete knowledge of Ockham's razor due to their viewing the
truly awful movie "Contact" based on Carl Sagan's only somewhat awful book
CONTACT (though his television series and book COSMOS were not awful at
all). In fact, most of these Americans seem to think that they've always
known about Ockham's razor and have applied it to other situations before,
though this is certainly untrue.
"See also 'T-Rex: popular perversion of Tyrannosaurus in layman's vocabulary
by author Michael Crichton.'"
Sorry for the completely off-topic message.
SuStel
Stardate 98965.0