Hanlon's razor
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Summary (TL;DR)
Hanlon's razor states: 'Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.' It first appeared in Arthur Bloch's 1980 book 'Murphy's Law Book Two', credited to Robert J. Hanlon. A similar statement appears in Robert Heinlein's 1941 novella 'Logic of Empire'. The adage gained popularity through the Jargon File in 1990. Variations include Grey's law: 'Any sufficiently advanced incompetence is indistinguishable from malice.' Similar quotes appear in H.G. Wells' 'The Wheels of Chance' and Winston Churchill's correspondence.
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