What principle is attributed to William of Ockham regarding logical explanations?

William of Ockham, a 14th-century English philosopher and theologian, is best known for the principle commonly referred to as "Occam's Razor." This principle emphasizes the importance of simplicity in logical explanations and problem-solving. It suggests that when presented with competing hypotheses or explanations for the same phenomenon, one should select the one that makes the fewest assumptions. In other words, the simplest explanation is often the most likely to be correct.

Ockham's Razor does not claim that the simplest explanation is always true, but rather that it is usually preferable to more complex explanations because unnecessary complications should be avoided. This principle has had a lasting impact on epistemology and the scientific method, encouraging clarity and parsimony in reasoning.

The other options relate to different philosophical concepts. The Principle of Plenitude refers to the idea that a full diversity of beings is better than a lack thereof, the Principle of Sufficient Reason posits that everything must have a reason or cause, and the Law of Noncontradiction states that contradictory statements cannot both be true at the same time. These concepts, while important, are distinct from the idea of simplicity in explanation that Occam's Razor embodies.