Simplicity

Simplicity is the property, condition, or quality of being simple or un-combined. It often denotes beauty, purity or clarity. Simple things are usually easier to explain and understand than complicated ones. Simplicity can mean freedom from hardship, effort or confusion. It may also refer to a simple living lifestyle.

According to Occam's razor, all other things being equal, the simplest theory is the most likely to be true — hence the importance of the concept of simplicity in epistemology. According to Thomas Aquinas, God is infinitely simple.

Members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) practice the Testimony of Simplicity, which is the simplifying of one's life in order to focus on things that are most important and disregard or avoid things that are least important.

In MCS cognition theory, simplicity is the property of a domain which requires very little information to be exhaustively described. The opposite of simplicity is complexity.

Simplicity in the philosophy of science

Simplicity is a meta-scientific criterion by which to evaluate competing theories. See also Occam's Razor and references. The similar concept of Parsimony is also used in philosophy of science, that is the explanation of a phenomenon which is the least involved is held to have superior value to a more involved one.

Quotes

"Simplicity means the achievement of maximum effect with minimum means." — Koichi Kawana, architect of botanical gardens
"Things should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." — Albert Einstein (1879–1955)
"Simple things should be simple. Complex things should be possible." — Alan Kay
"You can always recognize truth by its beauty and simplicity." — Richard Feynman (1918–1988)
"Our lives are frittered away by detail; simplify, simplify." — Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." — Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519)
"If you can't describe it simply, you can't use it simply." — Anon
"Simplicity of character is the natural result of profound thought." — William Hazlitt
"Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." — Antoine de Saint-Exupery

References

Craig, E. Ed. (1998) Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy. London, Routledge. simplicity (in Scientific Theory) p.780-783
Dancy, J. and Ernest Sosa, Ed.(1999) A Companion to Epistemology. Malden, Massachusetts, Blackwell Publishers Inc. simplicity p. 477-479.
Dowe, D. L., S. Gardner & G. Oppy (2007), "Bayes not Bust! Why Simplicity is no Problem for Bayesians", Brit. J. Phil. Sci., Vol. 58, Dec. 2007, 46pp. [Among other things, this paper compares MML with AIC.]
Edwards, P., Ed. (1967). The Encyclopedia of Philosophy. New York, The Macmillan Company. simplicity p.445-448.
Kim, J. a. E. S., Ed.(2000). A Companion to Metaphysics. Oxford, Blackwell Publishers. simplicity, parsimony p.461-462.
Newton-Smith, W. H., Ed. (2001). A Companion to the Philosophy of Science. Malden, Massachusetts, Blackwell Publishers Ltd. simplicity p.433-441.
Sarkar, S. Ed. (2002). The Philosophy of Science--An Encyclopedia. London, Routledge. simplicity
Wilson, R. A. a. K., Frank C., (1999). The MIT Encyclopedia of the Cognitive Sciences. Cambridge, Massachusetts, The MIT Press. parsimony and simplicity p.627-629.
Philosophy Technique Fulfillment by Dr. H S Shivaswamy

External links

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entry
Stanford SIMPLIcity image retrieval system, 1999.
Extensive bibliography for simplicity in the philosophy of science
Complexity vs. Simplicity
Beyond Simplicity: Tough Issues For A New Era by Albert J. Fritsch, SJ, PhD
"On Simple Theories Of A Complex World" by W. V. O. Quine
Art of Simplicity teachings and writings by Claude R. Sheffield
The Simplicity Cycle is a graphical exploration of the relationship between complexity, goodness and time.