Simplifying a theory to its essentials makes its core mechanisms clearer

Evidence

One way to do so would be to work along a given line to see how far it leads. All considered, I would at present choose contingency theory in the RD version—but in a much more simplified form than Gurr and his associates have used, recognizing that the goal is to construct good “theory,” which is an abstract tool of understanding, not to reconstruct concrete reality in all its nuances and complexities. Once the essentials are known, the nagging complexities will (on past scientific evidence) fall into place more persuasively. — John T. Jost and Jim Sidanius, Political Psychology, 4383

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Economic models are deliberately simplified representations enabling mathematical reasoning. — Donald MacKenzie, An Engine, Not a Camera: How Financial…, 40