Question

Occam's razor/principle of parsimony suggests that:

a) Nature prefers complex solutions
b) The simplest explanation is often the correct one
c) Complex theories are more reliable
d) Scientific inquiry should avoid simplicity

Answer 1

Occam's razor, or the principle of parsimony, suggests that the simplest explanation is often the correct one. This principle is commonly used in biology when constructing phylogenetic trees or evolutionary histories.

Step-by-step explanation:

The principle of parsimony, also known as Occam's razor, suggests that the simplest explanation is often the correct one. This principle is commonly used in the field of biology when constructing phylogenetic trees or evolutionary histories. Maximum parsimony is a method that assumes the evolutionary pathway with the fewest major events is the most likely explanation based on the available evidence. It hypothesizes that organisms that share a common ancestor are more likely to have many traits in common, and events occurred in the simplest, most obvious way.