Parsimony and internal complexity

Bibliographic Data

ID21370652
AuthorsSimon Thunder (0000-0003-4211-1369, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, corresponding author)
Year2026
Publication date2026-07-04
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePhilosophical Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0031-8116 • E-ISSN: 1573-0883
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1007/s11098-026-02575-1
OpenAlexW7167346594
LanguageEN
References cited25

I argue in favour of a novel conception of ontological parsimony. According to this novel conception, ontological parsimony qua theoretical virtue should not be measured solely by the number of entities (or kinds of entities, or fundamental kinds of entities) posited, but also by the internal complexity of those entities. I argue for this claim via the familiar methodology of appealing to intuitions about particular cases and to observations about successful scientific methodology. I furthermore point out some implications of my argument for other debates, and suggest a method for rendering parsimony qua degree of internal complexity commensurable with traditional conceptions of parsimony

Argument (complex analysis) · Metaphysics · Occam's razor · Philosophy of language · Philosophy of mind · Philosophy of science · Virtue · Embodied and Extended Cognition · Philosophy and History of Science · Philosophy and Theoretical Science

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Open DOIOpen Access