Copernicus’s astronomical system is superior to Ptolemy’s and was so

Copernicus’s astronomical system is superior to Ptolemy’s and was so at the time it was proposed, even though at that time all observational evidence was equally consistent with both theories. Ptolemy believed that the stars revolved around the earth at great speeds. This struck Copernicus as unlikely; he correctly thought that a simpler theory is that the earth rotates on its axis.

The argument most closely conforms to which one of the following principles?


(A) Simplicity should be the sole deciding factor in choosing among competing scientific theories.

(B) If one theory is likely to be true, and another competing theory is likely to be false, then the one likely to be true is the superior of the two.

(C) If all observational evidence is consistent with two competing theories, the one that is more intuitively true is the more practical theory to adopt.

(D) Other things being equal, the more complex of two competing theories is the inferior theory.

(E) Other things being equal, the simpler of two competing theories is the more scientifically important theory.