by Javier Ortega-Hernández *1 The principle of parsimony, also
known as Occam’s razor, has been widely attributed to the
English Franciscan friar William of Occam (c. 1288–1348). It
states Pluralitas non est ponenda sine necessitate, which
translates to ‘Plurality is not to be assumed without
necessity’. In other words, when one is faced with a problem or
question that can have several different answers, the solution
that requires the fewest assumptions is most likely to be
correct, unless there is evidence that proves that it is false.
Parsimony has an enduring influence in most scientific
activities, as it allows researchers to make comparisons and
choose between different hypotheses that aim to explain a
phenomenon using the same body of evidence. The incomplete
nature of the rock record and the loss of information associated
with the fossilization of biological remains make palaeobiology
a heavily interpretative science. Because of this uncertainty,
parsimony has an important role in testing the conclusio