Tag: Occam’s Razor

085

5.2.10.
The statement in Matt. 13:55 that Jesus was son of a “tekton” should be translated as Jesus is also

Jerusalem, Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Jerusalem, Church of the Holy Sepulchre

one of the tektons, as in the parallel verse Mark 6:3. In Semite culture the word “son” was used to indicated belonging. The Greek word tekton can mean a building worker; it can also mean an architect, a master builder or house builder.

Jesus is described as a tekton, an architect and master builder, because he was commissioned by Prince Antipas to build the city of Tiberias, Galilee’s new capital city.

The idea that the craftsman’s son Jesus could have acquired all his wisdom through divine inspiration rather than by hard study contradicts the principle of Occam’s Razor, whereby the simplest solution is the correct one.

016

1.4.10.
In shaping my theses I am committed to the principle of Occam’s razor. William of Ockham (1290 – 1349) was an English theologian and philosopher; the principle attributed to him,

Luxor, felucca
Luxor, felucca

based on economy of thought, states that one should only assume what is absolutely necessary. In other words, the simplest hypothesis is always preferable to more complex ones. To explain a fact, nothing should be accepted as necessary that does not rest on definite experience or clear logic, or that cannot be derived from articles of faith.

For example: the geocentric Medieval world view forced astronomers to carry out more and more complicated calculations in order to precisely predict the movements of heavenly bodies. According to the principle of Occam’s razor, the Copernican world view that places the sun at the centre is preferable to the geocentric world view, because it describes the same facts more simply and elegantly.