Occam's Fazer

Forgive the lateness of today’s entry, but I spent the morning down in Salem (Oregon’s Capital) testifying before a committee considering a report recommending a state-wide system of care for runaway and homeless youth. It was there that I encountered another example of Occam’s Fazer.

I can’t say with certainty, but I’m pretty sure I coined the term “Occam’s Fazer”. You’ve probably guessed that it’s a play on Occam’s Razor, a physics postulate that when presented with multiple explanations, the simplest is probably the correct one. However, far too often people try to apply this physics postulate to human behavior, offering simplistic solutions to complex problems. When they do, they tend to fluster and compound (faze, if you will) the entire debate. Thus, Occam’s Fazer: a simplistic solution that disconcerts an issue related to human behavior.

For example, at today’s hearing in our state capitol, four professional panelists presented a report based on 30 years of study related to issues of runaway and homeless youth. Statistics were cited, recommendations were made, and the panelists built a strong case for the establishment of a state-wide system of care for the estimated 24,000 runaway and homeless youth in Oregon each year. At the end of their testimony, when the committee was able to ask questions, the first question asked -- the first question -- was: “What do you think of the idea of a daytime curfew to force kids back into school?”

Occam’s Fazer.

Of course, the question had nothing to do with the recommendation of a state-wide system of care, and the reason why runaway and homeless youth aren’t in school is because the schools don’t meet their needs, so forcing them back into school wouldn’t really accomplish much in terms of their growth and development. And a daytime curfew wouldn’t force them back into school, anyway. It would simply drive them underground during school hours making them even more difficult to reach. These are all reasons why advocates for runaway and homeless youth don’t “think of the idea” of things like daytime curfews -- because the complex issues of runaway and homeless youth will not be addressed with simplistic responses, nor will any other issue that involves human behavior.

Remember this as you listen to and participate in the debates taking place in the aftermath of Virginia Tech. Such events are a Petri Dish for Occam’s Fazer. If the solution seems simple, be disconcerted.