Come on, add another layer of indirection! When given a problem to solve, hand back another problem.
In this case:
Q: "I want the SIMPLEST possible way to synchronize two threads. What is it?"
A: The SIMPLEST possible way to synchronize two threads is a global maximal element (not necessarily unique) of a poset induced by a partial ordering on possible methods for synchronizing two threads. If the induced poset is totally ordered, and assuming that at least one possibly way of synchronizing two threads exists, then there exists a SIMPLEST possible way to synchronize two threads. If you hand me a method for comparing two synchronization methods for SIMPLICITY, then an algorithm retrieving such a best possible solution is trivial, but at this point you must define define what you mean by SIMPLEST before we can move any further.
Mr. Double PhD was trying to be clever.