Crazy people do not apply the principle of scientific parsimony... they shoot for the baroque.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- People experiencing mental illness often reject simplicity in favor of elaborate explanations.
- In plain terms
- Crazy people prefer complex ideas over simple ones.
- What can you take from it?
- Mental states can bias us against simple explanations.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Why do we seek complexity?
- How do mental states shape reasoning?
Another view
It stigmatizes mental illness by framing it as inherently irrational.
More from Philip Kindred Dick
Mental illness is not funny.
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