Algorithmic information theory gives an idealized notion of compressibility, that is often presented as an objective measure of simplicity. It is suggested at times that Solomonoff prediction, or algorithmic information theory in a predictive setting, can deliver an argument to justify Occam’s razor. This paper explicates the relevant argument, and, by converting it into a Bayesian framework, r...

We argue that, from the perspective of a language-endowed social intelligent agent, processing metaphor – and figurative language in general – is an epiphenomenon of an agent’s ability to learn lexical senses on the fly and to postpone or disregard analysis of parts of input without compromising its functioning. This work is a step toward developing an explanatory theory of why people often ope...

A large number of recent studies suggest that the sensorimotor system uses probabilistic models to predict its environment and makes inferences about unobserved variables in line with Bayesian statistics. One of the important features of Bayesian statistics is Occam's Razor--an inbuilt preference for simpler models when comparing competing models that explain some observed data equally well. He...

This paper presents an experimental study of imperfection insensitive composite wavy cylindrical shells subject to axial compression. A fabrication technique for making cylindrical shells with intricate shape of cross-sections has been developed. A photogrammetry technique to measure the geometric imperfections has also been developed. The behavior of the wavy shells under axial compression was...

Sociologists of science noticed that the results of many collaborative projects and discoveries are often attributed only to their most famous collaborators, even when the contributions of these famous collaborators were minimal. This phenomenon is known as the Matthew effect, after a famous citation from the Gospel of Matthew. In this article, we show that Occam’s razor provides a possible exp...

Since real-life measurements cannot be absolutely precise, we never know the precise value of a physical quantity, we only know an interval of its ix~ssible values. Due m this uncertainty, there are several different models that are consistent with the same measurement results. Which model should we ch(x~se? in this paper, we show that Ockham's raz~w principle (Emitim 4umld m~t be m~dtiplial ~a...

O. 'NE OF THE traditional concerns of psychosomatic medicine has been the relation between structure and function in the central nervous system. As a member of the editorial board of Psychosomatic Medicine I have more than once determined whether an article was appropriate for publication in our journal on the basis of whether this relation was implicit in it. More broadly, my rule was that eve...

In the Lake Tanganyika cichlid Lamprologus callipterus, males were >12 times heavier than females, the most extreme sexual size dimorphism in this direction among animals. L. callipterus males construct nests of empty snail shells in which the females breed. If the ancestors of L. callipterus were small cichlids, both sexes may have used shells for shelter. If the ancestors were larger, snail s...

There is a widespread philosophical presumption – deep-rooted and often unarticulated – that a theory whose ontology exceeds that of its competitors is at a prima facie disadvantage. This presumption that ontologically more parsimonious theories are preferable appears in many guises. Often it remains implicit. Sometimes it is invoked as a primitive, self-evident proposition that cannot be furth...

There are 509 expanding neutral hydrogen shells catalogued in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), all apparently very young, with dynamical ages of a few Myr. To examine their relationship with young stellar objects we cross-correlated the shell catalogue with various catalogues of OB associations, super giants, Cepheids, WR stars, supernova remnants, and star clusters. The incidence of chance li...