Culture

Abstract

The 14th century English philosopher (and heretic), William of Occam, stated in his famous razor that "entities must not be unnecessarily multiplied." Roughly translated, this means "the simplest theory that fits the facts corresponds most closely to reality." Occam's razor has a wide application in science. However, when dealing with complex systems, like human societies, that comprise many entities often interacting in multiple, weak, diffuse and non-linear ways, we may have to "multiply entities" beyond what first seems to be necessary. This is certainly true in exploring the macrosocial determinants of health. © 2007 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.