ABSTRACT
Mikolaj Kopernik: Polish astronomer, ecclesiastical lawyer, and blasphemer. Famous for his heliocentric model of the solar system, Kopernik argued for replacing the geocentric model, because the heliocentric model was more “harmonious.” This chapter describes some of the most commonly used tools for coping with this tradeoff. Some notion of simplicity usually features in all of these tools, and so each is commonly compared to Ockham’s razor. So instead of Ockham’s razor, think of Ulysses’ compass. Ulysses was the hero of Homer’s Odyssey. During his voyage, Ulysses had to navigate a narrow straight between the many-headed beast Scylla—who attacked from a cliff face and gobbled up sailors—and the sea monster Charybdis—who pulled boats and men down to a watery grave.
