Jim Holt (philosopher). Why does our world exist? Existential Detective (№ 425290)

Simplicity is highly regarded in science. When competing scientific theories are equally validated by experience, scientists choose the simpler one — the one that postulates the fewest causally independent entities and properties in accordance with a principle known as Occam's razor. And not only because simpler theories are prettier or easier to use. Simplicity is considered a sign of the likelihood of a theory, its proximity to the truth. It is believed that explaining requires complex realities, not simple ones. And there is no simpler reality than World Zero.