First let us define parsimony. In Griffin's book The Idea of theory, he defined parsimony as the simplest explanation of a given phenomenon.(Griffin 41-42).
Let us then go to the main question. Is parsimony always a good thing? Yes, I believe so. You may ask, why? Because parsimony enables the theory presented to be easily understood by anyone who reads it.
First and foremost, you construct a theory to explain certain things/events that occur here in our planet. From the key word “explain”, we can gather that the aim of the theory is to lay out in plain words how and why the thing/event happened. If you use intricate explanations with a lot of “looping” sentences, it might cause the reader to misunderstand the meaning of the message. If this happens, your main objective-which is for your theory to be understood by all- will fail. For example, you construct a theory that seeks to explain how the sun refuses to shine. (NOTE: the theory I will present is NOT based on facts but is purely of my own imagination.)
e.g. Chapter 1:Why the sun refuses to shine. (complex version)
*example start*
As we all know the sun is made up of highly volatile, extremely unpredictable gases that may bubble up and shoot out of its interior core in highly minute particles that expand as the outer exterior of the sun shines down on them. This shooting out of the particles, which we may call as sundance, causes the sun to lighten up therefore causing the shooting rays to reach the earth's orbit within a tenth of a millimiter. This causes extreme fragmentations of light rays that shine as they are reflected by the ozone layer.
However in certain subjective instances, master gases within the interior core of the sun clamp down on the pores that open to its outer surface. This prevents the other gases from bubbling up and shooting out of its core. This phenomena is termed sundays. In the occasion that this event occurs, the interior gases cannot reach the outer surface of the sun therefore stopping the whole process of producing light.
*example end*
The reader of this “theory” would probably be like, “uhhhh, can you say that again?”
Second, one might argue that certain theories require intricate explanations to fully and effectively present their theory. However, there is what I call complex simplicity and unneeded complexity. By complex simplicity, I only mean that though the theory might require an intricate explanation, there is a way to strip down the theory to its essentials and use simple words to explain. There is no use to use scientific words that only the scientific community will understand. Moreover, if there is a real need need to use these words, a simple explanation of the term could clear everything up. By unneeded complexity, I mean using high words even though they are unneeded therefore causing to theory to be more complex than it should be.
With these things presented, I can conclude that yes, parsimony is always a good thing.
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