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I don't understand how doing something that you believe is right is worse than doing nothing to prevent ongoing harm. If you may fail; it doesn't mean you shou

• ktRolster 10y ago
  In many cases, "what you believe is right" is worse than doing nothing. For example, injecting massive amounts of aerosols into the atmosphere to stop global warming could be worse than doing nothing. In fact, if you make large changes to a system without deep understanding, it is likely you will cause problems. There is a software analogy here. An incremental approach, taking small steps at a time, is usually better.
• jessriedel 10y ago
  It's a matter of humility, and hinges on the empirical claim that uninformed actions are more likely to harm than help in complicated systems (hence, the George Washington blood-letting example). Hastening someone's death because you can't admit you don't know what you're doing is and, by golly, you're trying, is not an excuse.