Canonical · Mental Models · Model
Hanlon's Razor
Robert J. Hanlon · 1980
"Never attribute to malice what is adequately explained by carelessness."
When something bad happens because of someone else's action, our first instinct is to assume they meant it. Hanlon's Razor suggests trying the simpler explanation first: they were busy, careless, tired, or uninformed. Most cruelty is closer to indifference than to intention.
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