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Hanlon’s Razor: Not Everyone is Out to Get You

Shane Parrish · 16 Nov 2024

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  1. Hanlon’s razor is a mental safeguard against the temptation to label behavior as malicious when incompetence is the most common response.
  2. This isn’t to say that genuine malice doesn’t exist. Of course, it does. But in most interactions, stupidity is a far more common explanation than malevolence.
  3. When we assume stupidity rather than malice, we respond differently. Instead of getting defensive or lashing out, we approach the situation with empathy and clarity.
  4. Inability or neglect is far more likely to be the cause than malice.
  5. The more we dislike someone or something, the more likely we are to attribute their actions to malice.
  6. The default is to assume no malice and forgive everything. But if malice is confirmed, be ruthless.

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