Insights from walking around England and Wales: #18 The simplest explanation is usually best. But not the most interesting.

The English 14th century philosopher, William of Ockham (also spelled Occam), was right in that the simplest explanation is usually the right one. But his dictum, known as Occam’s Razor (“razor” refers to the idea of ‘shaving away’ unnecessary assumptions), takes the fun out of mystery. I was reminded of this in December 2018, on a remote stretch of the Welsh coast.

It was three in the morning in a 16th?century farmhouse, replete with creaking floorboards, crooked ceilings, and history oozing from the walls.? Outside, rain spattered on the thick, uneven windows.

A beer the night before, plus the vicissitudes of late-middle age, meant I needed to use the bathroom. There was complete darkness, both inside and outside. I stumbled in the direction of where I remembered the bathroom to be, waving my hands in front, searching for obstacles.?I found the doorframe and felt all around for the light switch. No luck.?Perhaps the owners were going for the full 16th century Elizabethan experience.?Maybe there was a candle lurking somewhere? Suddenly there was a "whoosh" from within the small room. And a breath of air on my unshaven cheek.?I jumped with alarm.

I don’t believe in ghosts, normally.?Still, sometimes our beliefs are tested.?Was it Keynes who said that he changed his mind when the facts changed? I retreated from the bathroom and searched more urgently for the light, pawing the blackness.?Who or what was there, and why were they so silent now?

I gingerly stepped in again.?Pffff!?The same noise and breath of air.?My arms shot up, defending and searching. Nothing. I began to doubt my sanity. I stepped back again, and as I did so my flailing hand touched a hanging cord.?Just the light switch, nothing more sinister.?Light flooded the room, and my palpitating heart slowed.?Very strange.?No obvious living being. I pressed my hands to the walls, searching for something, anything; anyone looking in would have thought I was mad.?Had “it” escaped??

Eventually, in my stupor, I realized the answer. There was a small device on the toilet which was activated by a motion detector. When someone entered the room, it released a puff of scented air.

Mystery solved.?But my relief was tinged with disappointment:?a more exotic explanation would have been more interesting. William of Ockham was right again.

A longer version of this post can be found here.