Sure, it could be a punk band from Boston, or it could be a subtle mingling of two very useful concepts.

1. Occam’s Razor: From the logician and Franciscan friar William of Occam in the 14th century, it is a scientific and philosophic rule that entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily. It is interpreted as requiring that the simplest of competing theories be preferred to the more complex or that explanations of unknown phenomena be sought first in terms of known quantities. In other words, the simplist possible explanation should always be applied.

2. Murphy’s Law: “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.”

Thus, “Murphy’s Razor”: Regardless of where you are or what is going on around you, the simplest explanation is that whatever can go wrong is going wrong.

Thanks to Martha Reichert, who came up with this at dinner recently in Austin, Texas.