Not only is the assumption of simplicity often false, but following it blindly can lead to serious misunderstandings, both in science and in everyday life.Ī well-known historical validation of the principle of simplicity in science was in the overthrow of the geocentric model of the universe. Ockham’s razor sounds logical and definitive, which is exactly what makes it dangerous. After all, why complicate something more than you need to? Isn’t it better to shave ideas down to their essential truths? Today scientists invoke Ockham’s razor on topics ranging from Covid’s origins to cosmic dark matter, while folks debating a subject on social media regularly invoke it as their final arbiter. This truth-testing idea-known as Ockham’s razor, after the English medieval philosopher William of Ockham-has been embraced by no less authorities than Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein. It is that time again, we ask you to tell us who you think deserves to receive the Skeptic of the Year award, and who deserves to receive the Rusty Razor.We hear all the time that the simplest explanations are usually the right ones. One of the most important elements of our awards are that the nominations come from you – the skeptical community. Previous Rusty Razor winners have included Dr Mike Yeadon for his anti-vaccination efforts, Dr Didier Raoult for his promotion of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19, Andrew Wakefield for his ongoing promotion of anti-vaxx misinformation, and Gwyneth Paltrow for her pseudoscience-peddling wellness empire, Goop. This year’s Rusty Razor was awarded to The Global Warming Policy Foundation, a registered charity which exists to cast doubt about climate change and calls for an end to the commitment to net zero carbon emissions. The Rusty Razor is designed to spotlight individuals or organisations who have been prominent promoters of unscientific ideas within the last year. While we recognise the best in skepticism, our awards are also an opportunity to highlight the danger posed by promoters of pseudoscience with our Rusty Razor award. Other past Ockham winners include Dr Elisabeth Bik, Dr Natália Pasternak, Professor Edzard Ernst, the European Skeptics Podcast, Say WHY To Drugs podcast, Britt Hermes, the Edinburgh Skeptics’ annual Skeptics on the Fringe event, and more. They’ve documented how the anti-vaccine movement has become more extreme, and how Russian propaganda regarding the invasion of Ukraine has spread through conspiracist channels, but they’ve also spoken directly to believers of these kinds of ideas, to show first-hand how people can be swayed by rhetoric and fear, and the human cost of misinformation, embodying the ethos of The Skeptic, to reason with compassion. This year’s Ockham winner is The BBC Disinformation Unit for their work to investigate and bring to light misinformation. The Ockhams recognise the effort and time that have gone into the community’s favourite campaigns, activism, blogs, podcasts, and outstanding contributors to the skeptical cause. The awards were founded because we wanted to draw attention to those people who work hard to get a great message out. Since 2012, The Skeptic has had the pleasure of awarding the Ockham Awards – our annual awards celebrating the very best work from within the skeptical community.
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