• About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Pickem Terms and Conditions
Tuesday, May 17, 2022
The Platte County Landmark Newspaper
  • Home
  • Local News
  • Opinion
  • Landmark Pickem!
    • Login / Sign-up
    • Results by Week
    • Pickem Rules and Help
  • Landmark Live!
  • Looking Backward
  • es_MXSpanish
  • Home
  • Local News
  • Opinion
  • Landmark Pickem!
    • Login / Sign-up
    • Results by Week
    • Pickem Rules and Help
  • Landmark Live!
  • Looking Backward
  • es_MXSpanish
No Result
View All Result
The Platte County Landmark Newspaper
No Result
View All Result

Occam’s razor

Chris Kamler by Chris Kamler
August 7, 2019
in The Rambling Moron
4
SHARES
110
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare via Email

William of Occam was a friar in the 14th-century. He was known as a leading philosopher and theologian as well as an expert in logic and physicis. For 1320, he was pretty bright dude.

William was a pretty controversial figure in those days. He sparred with his Fransician order. He sparred with the Pope. He sparred with those who disagreed with his logic statements. The one he is most famous for has come to be know as Occam’s Razor. The “razor” portion of the principle is meant to “shave away” what is complicated and unnecessary from the problem.

RelatedNews

Pooping in the mail

Cancel culture

Is it me?

The original translation of this problem solving principle is “Entities should not be multiplied without necessity.” It is commonly quoted today as “The simplest solution is most likely the right one.”

Regardless of the translation, William of Occam was on to something when he advised people to not make problems more complicated than they needed to be. If you’re wanting to cut down a tree, you don’t need to dig a ditch.

I’ve thought a lot about William of Occam this week as hours upon hours upon hours of talking heads on the news discuss the latest shooting tragedies in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio. There is obviously never one cause for a person to shoot up a Wal-Mart. Issues in their youth, issues with their job, issues with their mental health, parenting, outside influences – these all likely contributed to the senseless crime of killing people.

The talk shows took that a step further. In one morning show, the following “causes” of the mass-shooting epidemic were put forth. Violent video games. Prayer in schools. Border protection. Parenting. Mental illness. Overmedication of children. Racism. Bigotry. The Internet. And that was just through an hour of watching.

So, here we’ve got a complex problem, with an obviously complex solution. But we’ve also got a very specific issue that makes it bigger. Two men were able to murder dozens of people in minutes. So, logically, you need to look at why these events seem to happen here more so than in other countries.

Other countries have video games. They allow for separation of church and state. Mental health problems exist around the country as do parenting problems and the Internet. What makes the United States unique?

To steal a phrase, it’s the guns, stupid. In Dayton, the shooter was able to mow down 30 people in under 60 seconds before being killed by police. That’s one person every two seconds. In every other country that has mental illness, video games, and the Internet, they also have gun laws that take weapons of mass destruction like assault rifles off the streets. This infringes on nobody’s Second Amendment rights. You can carry all the weapons of protection you feel your self-regulated militia needs. But you simply cannot have something that kills people at the rate of one person every two seconds. It is inhumane. It is wrong.

If you apply the foundation of Occam’s Razor to this problem, and shave away the complex and unnecessary, the simplest answer to the problem is to remove assault weapons from the streets. There will still be plenty of problems left to solve, obviously. But there will also be more people around to help solve them.

(For more of Chris Kamler, follow him on Twitter where he is known as @TheFakeNed or find him on Facebook and YouTube)

Tags: chris kamlerpolicePublic Safety
Chris Kamler

Chris Kamler

Chris Kamler is a 20 year veteran of Information Technology and a nearly 50 year veteran of being a pain in the rear.

He is known for his irreverence through his social media Twitter account @TheFakeNed along with his weekly Landmark columns, sports broadcasts, podcasts, and his book.

Kamler has a wife and a child and is a lifelong Northlander. His list of loves include his family and QuikTrip roller food.

Related Posts

Pooping in the mail

Pooping in the mail

by Chris Kamler
May 13, 2022
0

When one approaches the age of 50, there are a number of opportunities that open up. The most obvious is that you can register for AARP, the old people club. Although, they really don't have an age limit, (once, a...

Budget, wars and tweets

Budget, wars and tweets

by Guy Speckman
May 13, 2022
0

The State of Missouri has passed a fiscal year budget. It nears $47 billion. Last year's budget was $36 billion. The largest budget increase in the history of the State of Missouri. If you still think Republicans are the fiscally...

15 Years Ago–May 9, 2007

by Ivan Foley
May 13, 2022
0

It has been a hectic week for Platte County residents and business owners with property in low-lying areas, as heavy rains across the region have forced rivers and streams out of their banks. Areas in and around Parkville, Riverside, Tracy...

The Landmark enters 158th year of publication

The Landmark enters 158th year of publication

by Landmark Digital
May 13, 2022
0

Published each week since the closing days of the Civil War Consistency and endurance. Effective with last week's edition, The Landmark has begun its 158th year of continuous publication. The oldest newspaper in Platte County--older than the Kansas City Star...

Next Post

Cops and kids event is tuesday evening in Platte City

Popular News

  • Area distillery releases first new bourbon in 30 years

    Area distillery releases first new bourbon in 30 years

    21 shares
    Share 8 Tweet 5
  • Large logistics park planned east of I-29

    198 shares
    Share 79 Tweet 50
  • Bee Creek Bridge replacement set

    8 shares
    Share 3 Tweet 2
  • Memorial Day Weekend Celebration planned

    7 shares
    Share 3 Tweet 2
  • City extends lease on temporary police station

    6 shares
    Share 2 Tweet 2
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Pickem Terms and Conditions
Call us at 816-858-0363

Copyright © 2019-2020 The Platte County Landmark Newspaper - All Rights Reserved

No Result
View All Result
  • Subscribe Online
  • Home
  • Local News
  • Opinion
  • Landmark Pickem
    • Results by Week
    • Pickem Rules and Help
  • Landmark Live!
  • Looking Backward
  • es_MXSpanish

Copyright © 2019-2020 The Platte County Landmark Newspaper - All Rights Reserved

Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?