In contrast to conspiracy theorists who add assumptions and complexity to their theories as a way to account for claims not supported by data, scientists depend on _____ to try to keep their theories no more complicated than required to account for the data.
A) parsimony
B) economical prediction
C) testability
D) falsifiability

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The concept described in the statement is known as parsimony, which is the principle that scientific theories should be as simple and straightforward as possible, while still accounting for all the available evidence. This helps to avoid unnecessary complexity, assumptions, and speculation that are not supported by data or empirical evidence. Economical prediction, testability, and falsifiability are also important principles of scientific inquiry, but they do not directly address the issue of complexity in scientific theories.

In Contrast to Conspiracy Theorists Who Add Assumptions and Complexity