# Does Occam's Razor have an opposite? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 7, 2021, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-occams-razor-have-an-opposite/929944 "2021-01-07T18:23:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2021, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-occams-razor-have-an-opposite/929944/1 "2021-01-07T18:23:29Z")
Is there a term for the type of thinking that rejects the simplest and most obvious explanations for things, yet is willing and eager to buy into ridiculously convoluted and implausible conspiracy-type theories? I’m not even talking about hearing hoofbeats and thinking zebras; I’m talking about hearing hoofbeats and thinking aliens dressed in zebra costumes summoned by George Soros to destroy America, while summarily dismissing the notion that horses even exist. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2021, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-occams-razor-have-an-opposite/929944/2 "2021-01-07T18:27:31Z")
alexjonesism? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2021, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-occams-razor-have-an-opposite/929944/3 "2021-01-07T20:37:40Z")
Conspiracism. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2021, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-occams-razor-have-an-opposite/929944/4 "2021-01-07T20:43:42Z")
Occam’s Shaving Brush? ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2021, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-occams-razor-have-an-opposite/929944/5 "2021-01-07T20:45:11Z")
Occam’s Expanding Shaving Foam ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_Sponge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dark_sponge/32/121_2.png) [@Dark\_Sponge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Sponge)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2021, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-occams-razor-have-an-opposite/929944/6 "2021-01-07T20:50:45Z")
Occam’s bag of wet mice. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2021, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-occams-razor-have-an-opposite/929944/7 "2021-01-07T20:58:50Z")
I’ll buy that, Doc. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2021, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-occams-razor-have-an-opposite/929944/8 "2021-01-07T21:23:12Z")
For every simple problem, there is a simple solution. And it is usually wrong. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2021, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-occams-razor-have-an-opposite/929944/9 "2021-01-07T21:24:59Z")
Quantum theory? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2021, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-occams-razor-have-an-opposite/929944/10 "2021-01-07T23:56:33Z")
The opposite of Occam’s Razor would be Occam’s very complex Beard. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2021, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-occams-razor-have-an-opposite/929944/11 "2021-01-08T00:01:37Z")
Occam’s Salvador Dali moustache? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2021, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-occams-razor-have-an-opposite/929944/12 "2021-01-08T00:04:06Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > The opposite of Occam’s Razor would be Occam’s very complex Beard. - Occam’s Terminal Length Beard. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2021, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-occams-razor-have-an-opposite/929944/13 "2021-01-08T03:56:41Z")
The opposite of “The simplest explanation is usually the right one” is “. . . but not always”… ---
**Author:** ![MrKnowItAll](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrknowitall/32/87_2.png) [@MrKnowItAll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrKnowItAll)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2021, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-occams-razor-have-an-opposite/929944/14 "2021-01-08T04:14:54Z")
Complexity Bias ---
**Author:** ![MrKnowItAll](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrknowitall/32/87_2.png) [@MrKnowItAll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrKnowItAll)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2021, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-occams-razor-have-an-opposite/929944/15 "2021-01-08T04:21:01Z")
More humorously, I’m a fan of the Dopeler Effect: The tendency for stupid ideas to seem smarter the faster they are coming at you. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2021, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-occams-razor-have-an-opposite/929944/16 "2021-01-08T04:24:18Z")
For some reason I read that as ‘Complexity Bliss’. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2021, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-occams-razor-have-an-opposite/929944/17 "2021-01-08T04:32:03Z")
I’d call that kind of person a Pretzel Logician. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2021, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-occams-razor-have-an-opposite/929944/18 "2021-01-08T05:51:47Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > Is there a term for the type of thinking that rejects the simplest and most obvious explanations for things, yet is willing and eager to buy into ridiculously convoluted and implausible conspiracy-type theories? Esotericism or Occultism. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2021, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-occams-razor-have-an-opposite/929944/19 "2021-01-08T13:20:08Z")
> [@Dark\_Sponge](#): > > Occam’s bag of wet mice. I was thinking Occam’s Bag Of Hammers (as in “Dumb as a…”)