Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Occam's Razor

Ellie Arroway:
Hey, I've got one for you.

Palmer Joss:
What've you got?

Ellie Arroway:
Occam's Razor--you ever heard of it?

Palmer Joss:
Hoccam's Razor? It sounds like some slasher movie.

Ellie Arroway:
No, Occam's razor. It's a basic scientific
principle, and it says: "All things being equal, the
simplest explanation tends to be the right one."

Palmer Joss:
It makes sense to me.

Dialogue between "Ellie Arroway" (Jodie Foster) and "Palmer Joss" (Matthew McConaughey) in the film _Contact_ [1997]; screenplay by James V. Hart and Michael Goldenberg

(From alt.quotations)