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Ideas for 'works', 'Defining 'Intrinsic' (with Rae Langton)' and 'Aspects of Scientific Explanation'

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2 ideas

2. Reason / B. Laws of Thought / 6. Ockham's Razor

6806	Do not multiply entities beyond necessity [William of Ockham]
	Full Idea: Do not multiply entities beyond necessity.
	From: William of Ockham (works [1335])
	A reaction: This is the classic statement of Ockham's Razor, though it is not found in his printed works. It appears to be mainly aimed at Plato's Theory of Forms. It is taken to refer to types of entities, not numbers. One seraph is as bad as a hundred.

2. Reason / D. Definition / 1. Definitions

15457	Interdefinition is useless by itself, but if we grasp one separately, we have them both [Lewis]
	Full Idea: All circles of interdefinition are useless by themselves. But if we reach one of the interdefined pair, then we have them both.
	From: David Lewis (Defining 'Intrinsic' (with Rae Langton) [1998], IV)