But simplicity is just one factor among many. Often, simple theories turn out to be false, and more complicated theories turn out to be true. Simplicity can be overridden by other factors. One way it can be overridden is when we know there’s complexity in the environment. For example, suppose we find the letter A scratched on a rock on Mars. There are two hypotheses: It was formed by random movements of other rocks, or it was put there by an intelligent being. The first seems simpler, since we otherwise have little reason to postulate intelligent beings on Mars, so we may favor it. On the
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