oversimplifikation

Oversimplifikation, or oversimplification, is the act or result of reducing complex phenomena to overly simple explanations, models, or conclusions by neglecting essential complexities, uncertainties, or interactions. The term is used in German-speaking contexts to critique analyses that hide important nuances.

Causes include cognitive tendencies toward simplification, limitations of space and time in communication, ideological bias, and incentives in media or politics to present clear, decisive messages. In science and social science, oversimplification can ignore multi-factor causation, feedback mechanisms, and context, yielding misleading conclusions.

Examples range from attributing economic crises to a single cause, to stereotyping a group as acting uniformly, to claiming that a complex policy problem has a single, universal solution. Consequences include misinformed decisions, distorted public understanding, and erosion of trust when oversimplified claims are challenged.

Oversimplification is not the same as legitimate simplification or abstraction. The problem arises when essential elements are omitted or misrepresented. Mitigation involves embracing uncertainty, presenting multiple causes, hedging claims, and making clear the limits of any model or explanation.

See also: reductionism, generalization, oversimplified reasoning, straw man, cherry-picking.