A philosophical razor is a principle or rule of thumb that allows one to eliminate (“shave off”) unlikely explanations or avoid unnecessary actions. These principles tend to simplify reasoning and are used in various aspects of philosophy and other disciplines. Here are a few examples of philosophical razors:

• Occam’s Razor: This principle suggests that the simplest explanation or hypothesis is often the best one. In other words, we should avoid unnecessary complexity.
• Hanlon’s Razor: This razor advises not to attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity or ignorance. In other words, don’t assume bad intentions over neglect and misunderstanding.
• Hitchens’s Razor: Coined by writer Christopher Hitchens, it states that what can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.
• Popper’s Razor: This razor, named after Karl Popper, holds that a theory should be rejected if it does not make a testable prediction. It’s closely related to the concept of falsifiability in the philosophy of science.
• Newton’s Flaming Laser Sword: More humorously named, this principle suggests that what cannot be settled by experiment is not worth debating. It’s a stricter form of Popper’s Razor.

These razors are heuristic tools and their utility may vary depending on the context. They can be useful for initial evaluations, but they may not always lead to the correct or best solution. The use of these razors should be balanced with other aspects of critical and logical reasoning.

Generated by ChatGPT (GPT-4) from the prompt “What are ‘philosophical razors’?”