Osler's Razor

I often recommend clerking for a judge to my students, since it can be a singularly useful experience. Nothing else can prepare you for litigation as well, since you get priceless insights into the way that a court works and makes decisions. My own clerkship was wonderful. Judge Jan E. DuBois taught me many things about the law, but he also taught me other life lessons. One day, for example, he called me into his chambers and noted my grizzled appearance. He asked what my routine was for shaving, and I admitted that it consisted of scraping an old blade sideways across my face. He then proceded to give me detailed instructions on how to do it the right way.

This incident came to mind today as I was flipping through the catalogue from Ben Silver, a store in Charleston from which I buy a lot of ties and, now and then, a nice Harris Tweed coat. I noticed a sidebar in the catalogue entitled "What You Need To Know About Shaving." It was quite specific, and described a process I can't imagine following:

"Open the pores with hot water. Apply skin food in an upward motion to soften the beard. Lift the beard from the face by lathering up in a circular motion against the grain of the beard with a good quality badger shaving brush.... Use the finest badger brush you can afford."

Later in the piece, they recommend a brush made from a "High Mountain Badger."

Even leaving aside the question of what "skin food" might be, doesn't that sound a little scary? Do they really make brushes out of badgers?

Plus, catching high mountain badgers can be difficult, as shown in this video.