What exactly did Einstein mean by “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler”?
Einstein’s quote “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler” emphasizes the importance of clarity and simplicity in understanding complex concepts. Here’s a breakdown of its meaning:
- Simplicity in Explanation: Einstein advocated for simplifying ideas to make them more accessible. This means stripping away unnecessary complexity while retaining the essential elements that convey the core idea.
- Avoiding Oversimplification: The second part of the quote warns against oversimplification. While it’s important to simplify concepts, doing so too much can lead to misunderstandings or inaccuracies. It suggests that one should not eliminate critical aspects of a concept just to make it easier to understand.
- Balance: The quote reflects a balance between complexity and simplicity. In science, as well as in other fields, achieving this balance is crucial for effective communication and understanding.
- Practical Application: In practice, this principle can apply to various disciplines, including science, education, and problem-solving. It encourages individuals to focus on what is essential and clear while recognizing that some complexity is inherent in many subjects.
Simple
Making Things Simple – The feature/tasks should be broken down into series of simple steps without compromising any aspect of the feature or task.
Simpler
Making Simpler – The task is made deliberately easy to understand by neglecting/ignoring the complicated pieces out of the equation.
Clarity
Overall, Einstein’s perspective suggests that clarity and depth of understanding are crucial, and one should strive for simplicity without compromising the integrity of the subject matter.
The clue lies in the terminology “irreducible basic elements”. and “without having to surrender the adequate representation”.
Einstein was saying that it is desirable to keep even complex things as simple as they can be, without losing something of the essence of those things, but that some things cannot be reduced to something simpler as they lose something of vital importance.
In other words, sometimes complexity (the IRREDUCIBLE basic elements) is necessary in order to retain the “adequate representation” of that which is under scrutiny.(I used this correct quote in my software engineering dissertation in 2008, before it was ever freely discoverable on the Internet, outside of paid intellectual libraries.)