Do not explain behaviour by higher mental faculties if lower ones suffice.
Morgan's 1894 canon, still the default rule in comparative psychology. It is Occam's razor applied to minds, and it is why attributing planning to an animal requires ruling out simpler accounts first.
In practice
- A dog that returns to where food was is not planning, and the simpler account should be excluded before the richer one is offered.
- A system that appears to anticipate user needs is usually pattern-matching, and attributing intent to it changes how it is trusted.
- Standing
- Occam's razor applied to minds; still the default rule in comparative psychology.
- Further reading
- Wikipedia
- Subject
- Science & Epistemology
- Essay
- Rules for weighing claims