Results: My Favorite Razors - no not for shaving, philosophical ones
A philosophical razor is basically a shortcut used in reasoning, a way to "shave" away unlikely explanations, bad assumptions, or other sorts of baseless arguments.
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The first razor I like to use is "Occam's Razor" - Although there are many variations of this razor is generally comes down to the idea that the simplest explanation is often the best one. It doesn't always work, and if applied maliciously and not logically it breaks. Have you heard of Occam's Razor before? Yes
27%
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271 votes
No
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508 votes
Undecided
5%
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47 votes
Not Applicable
16%
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163 votes
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The second razor I like to use is "Hanlon's Razor" - Again there are multiple variations , but this one essentially is "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity or ignorance." In the internet age, it feels like everyone jumps straight to assuming that everyone else is a bad actor and is evil. Often enough, recognizing that someone else does not have the same information you do is a good enough explanation for why someone might behave a certain way. Have you heard of Hanlon's Razor before? Yes
10%
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96 votes
No
68%
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674 votes
Undecided
6%
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55 votes
Not Applicable
17%
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164 votes
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The third and last razor I will mention is very applicable these days, it is "Hitchens' Razor." It is a bit more straightforward, as I have not seen many variations of it around. It states "What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence." The idea here is that, like in a court of law, if someone makes a statement and passing it off as true, or asserting the truth of that statement, the burden of proof is on the person making the statement. It does not reside with those reading or hearing the statement. Too often people online will make a statement and basically say "prove me wrong" - when they are doing nothing to prove themselves right. Have you heard of Hitchens' Razor before? Yes
10%
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102 votes
No
67%
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664 votes
Undecided
5%
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52 votes
Not Applicable
17%
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171 votes
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