If something bad happens to you, there are a few ways you can process what happened:
- It was a random error (software crash, failed brakes, etc).
- Someone made an unintentional mistake.
- Someone did this to me on purpose.
There’s nothing you can do about the first item, but many instances of the third (“someone did this to me on purpose”) are misplaced.
Hanlon’s Razor is pretty clear: never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity. That’s not to say that malice doesn’t exist, but rather that our default should be to assume the other party made a mistake and they’re probably not out to get you.
We see these kinds of situations all the time.
- Our neighbors are so loud that they must be doing this to irritate us. In reality, most of the time, they’re unaware that they’re causing a problem.
- Someone fails to return your phone call, so they must hate you. Maybe, but it’s more likely that they got busy and simply forgot.
- A car cut you off in traffic, so they must have been trying hit you. There is a far better chance that they simply didn’t see you or they were occupied with their phone. That’s stupidity, for sure, but not malice.
The Farnam Street blog summarizes it like this:
Hanlon’s Razor teaches us not to assume the worst intention in the actions of others. Understanding Hanlon’s Razor helps us see the world in a more positive light, stop negative assumptions, and improve relationships.
People can and will do malicious things to you, so you should be prepared for that. However, it likely happens far less often than you think, and remembering this razor is a great way to improve your perspective in a lot of situations.
