I've also come to learn very recently of at least one human who purposely
tries to take the hardest route possible because he has always held the
belief that the harder it is, the "more correct" it is, i.e., if it's
simple then it can't possibly be right.  It's been a tough road, but I
think he's starting to see the error in his theory.  Simpler generally is
better, especially for the small stuff.

- Pam

------------ Previous Message from  Lawrence Kestenbaum
<[log in to unmask]>  on  10/13/98 07:55:07 AM ----------

However, Occam's Razor only works for natural phenomena.  When figuring
out any human creation, or institution, or building, you cannot rely on
any assumption about simplicity.  Hardly any simple declarative sentence
about human history is literally true without several qualifying
footnotes.  It is folly to assume that any legislation written by humans
is is simple or logical.  Likewise, don't design your remodeled floor plan
around the assumption that the water pipes take the direct route to the
upstairs bathroom.