Re: Occam Razor

From: Russell Standish <R.Standish.domain.name.hidden>
Date: Mon, 18 Dec 2000 11:56:52 +1100 (EST)

Jacques Mallah wrote:
>
> >From: Russell Standish <R.Standish.domain.name.hidden>
> >Yes it is true that a suitable many-worlds implies Occam (as per my
> >paper of that title, for example). However, it is also true that the
> >best reason for accepting an all universes hypothesis is the zero
> >information principle - ie basically Occam's razor again. Whilst one
> >might suspect a vicious circle here, I believe it's not. At very
> >least, the theory is self-consistent, something I expect not to be
> >true of any variant of Occam's razor.
>
> Why wouldn't it be self-consistent?
> However, it is not automatic that just because you believe in Occam's
> razor (that the best theory is the simplest one), you also believe that it
> is of practical use (that anthropic selection does not mean that you not
> should expect to see something simple). That's where the Turing machine
> argument and the rabbits come in.

Good point!

> BTW, I'm done teaching for the term so hopefully I'll have some time for
> things like attacking your Occam paper. But I do have a lot of other stuff
> to do.
>

Look forward to the criticism.

> - - - - - - -
> Jacques Mallah (jackmallah.domain.name.hidden)
> Physicist / Many Worlder / Devil's Advocate
> "I know what no one else knows" - 'Runaway Train', Soul Asylum
> My URL: http://hammer.prohosting.com/~mathmind/
>
> _________________________________________________________________
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>



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Dr. Russell Standish Director
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Received on Sun Dec 17 2000 - 17:15:14 PST

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