Hanlon’s Razor (People Aren’t Evil…Just Stupid)

✂️ Hanlon’s Razor

📆 Last Friday, I was disgusted by a software delivery that moved on to the next phase without adequate(read nearly ‘zero’) testing, causing an automation breakdown.

🤯 I was:
- shocked
- surprised
- flabbergasted

When things go wrong, we seem to have a cognitive bias towards ascribing wrong-doing and ‘evil’ intent.

After some time, I recalled Hanlon’s Razor.

If you don’t know, learn in 2 mins here 👇

🔥 This razor can be applied to situations where someone makes a mistake or behaves in a way that is perceived as malicious or intentionally harmful.

🗣️ Robert J. Hanlon said:
“Never attribute to malice, that which can be adequately explained by stupidity”

Stupidity can be an error or failure.

I calmed down.

🧯Caveat:
Never rule out the possibility of both stupidity and malice in combination, it does happen 😉