Hanlon's razor
Hanlon's razor is an aphorism expressed in various ways, including:
- "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity."[1]
An eponymous law, probably named after a Robert J. Hanlon, it is a philosophical razor which suggests a way of eliminating unlikely explanations for human behavior.
Origin
Inspired by Occam's razor,[2] the aphorism became known in this form and under this name by the Jargon File, a glossary of computer programmer slang.[3][1] Later that same year, the Jargon File editors noted lack of knowledge about the term's derivation and the existence of a similar epigram by William James.[4] In 1996, the Jargon File entry on Hanlon's Razor noted the existence of a similar quotation in Robert A. Heinlein's novella Logic of Empire (1941), with speculation that Hanlon's Razor might be a corruption of "Heinlein's Razor".[5] (The character "Doc" in Heinlein's story described the "devil theory" fallacy, explaining, "You have attributed conditions to villainy that simply result from stupidity.")[6]
In 2001, Quentin Stafford-Fraser published two blog entries citing e-mails from Joseph E. Bigler[7][8] explaining that the quotation originally came from Robert J. Hanlon of Scranton, Pennsylvania, as a submission (credited in print) for a book compilation of various jokes related to Murphy's Law published in Arthur Bloch's Murphy's Law Book Two: More Reasons Why Things Go Wrong! (1980).[9] Subsequently, in 2002, the Jargon File entry noted the same.[10]
Earlier attributions to the idea go back to at least the 18th century.[11] First published in German (1774) Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote in The Sorrows of Young Werther (as translated):[11]
Misunderstandings and neglect occasion more mischief in the world than even malice and wickedness. At all events, the two latter are of less frequent occurrence.[12]
A more concise expression of the idea comes from Jane West, in her novel The Loyalists (1812):[11]
Let us not attribute to malice and cruelty what may be referred to less criminal motives.[13]
A similar quote is also misattributed to Napoleon.[11]
See also
- Apophenia – Tendency to perceive connections between unrelated things
- Clarke's three laws – Axioms proposed by British science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke
- Dunning–Kruger effect – Cognitive bias about one's own skill
- Finagle's law – Adage
- Good faith – Intention to be fair, open, and honest
- Hitchens's razor – General rule rejecting claims made without evidence
- Idiot-proof – Designed to be proof against misuse or error
- Law of triviality – Focusing on what is irrelevant but easy to understand
- Newton's Flaming Laser Sword – Australian mathematician and philosopher
- Peter principle – Management concept by Laurence J. Peter
- Presumption of innocence – Legal principle that one is presumed innocent until proven guilty
- Principle of charity – Interpreting statements in the most rational way possible
- Sturgeon's law – "Ninety percent of everything is crap"
References
- ^ a b Guy L. Steele; Eric S. Raymond, eds. (1990-06-12). "The Jargon File, Version 2.1.1 (Draft)". jargon-file.org. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
- ^ Livraghi, Giancarlo (2004). Il potere della stupidità. Pescara, Italy: Monti & Ambrosini SRL. p. 1. ISBN 9788889479131.
- ^ "Hanlon's Razor". Jargon File. Eric S. Raymond. 2002-03-03. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
- ^ Eric S. Raymond; Guy L. Steele, eds. (1990-12-15). "The Jargon File, Version 2.2.1". jargon-file.org. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
- ^ Eric S. Raymond, ed. (1996-07-24). "The Jargon File, Version 4.0.0". jargon-file.org. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
- ^ Robert Heinlein (1941-03-01). "Logic of Empire". Astounding Science-Fiction. Vol. 27, no. 1. p. 39. Retrieved 2018-08-08.
- ^ Stafford-Fraser, Quentin (2001-11-26). "[untitled]". Retrieved 2017-07-19.
- ^ Stafford-Fraser, Quentin (2001-12-04). "The origins of Hanlon's Razor". Retrieved 2017-07-19.
- ^ Arthur Bloch (1980). Murphy's Law Book Two: More Reasons Why Things Go Wrong!. Price Stern Sloan. p. 52. ISBN 9780417064505.
- ^ Eric S. Raymond, ed. (2002-03-03). "The Jargon File, Version 4.3.2". jargon-file.org. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
- ^ a b c d Selin, Shannon (14 July 2014). "Napoleon Misquoted - Ten Famous Things Bonaparte Never Actually Said". MilitaryHistoryNow.com. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
- ^ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1774). Die Leiden des jungen Werthers (in German). p. 1.
- ^ Jane West, The Loyalists: An Historical Novel, Vol. 2 (Boston: 1813), p. 134
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