4 ms·

"Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity."

rday 13y ago
I cringe each time I read this quote. It isn't helpful. I have had too many people take advantage of "second chances" by pleading ignorance. Maybe I'm just too cynical. The only take away here is that you have to treat malice and stupidity the same. The person in question either messed up intentionally, or is too stupid to do their job. You should fire them, or quit, whichever position you happen to be in.
- cgore 13y ago
  "Any sufficiently advanced incompetence is indistinguishable from malice."
  - jfolkins 13y ago
    Heyyyyyy, no bogarting Clarke's third law. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarke's_three_laws http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarke's_three_laws
    - cgore 13y ago
      Grey's Law: http://www.johndcook.com/blog/2009/08/21/magic-stupidity-malice/ http://www.johndcook.com/blog/2009/08/21/magic-stupidity-mal...
- calinet6 13y ago
  It helps you frame your point of view and, true, avoid cynicism. Stupidity can also be more subtle. It's not always clear cut idiocy, there's a continuum between total and absolute head-desk stupidity, and ignorance or information blindness that's outside one's control. Whereas malice is much less a continuum: the only question is, to what degree is this person an asshole, and when will they strike next? Intentionally and willfully hurting others is another world from anything unintentional. The law treats it the same way. Hence, I believe it is helpful. In any case, it's a razor: it separates illogical conceptual rabbit-holes from that which is more likely to be true.
mtrimpe 13y ago
Interestingly enough (in the context of this thread) my personal corollary to that is: "Never attribute to incompetence that which is adequately explained by bad management."
- akerl_ 13y ago
  Pretty much a noop, since bad management is a subcategory of incompetence.
  - mtrimpe 13y ago
    It's about not blaming bad code/product on developer incompetence though. It's a leftover from a time when I unfairly criticised a number of programmers who were actually heroically fighting to deliver a quality product under bad management.
- alttab 13y ago
  If you blame management every time, you'll never take responsibility for your own actions.
  - calinet6 13y ago
    You'd think this, but it turns out not to be true. When a person is working under good management, with the autonomy to do what they need to be successful, the ability to get better at their work and master a field, and a clear purpose, responsibility is a given. It is when individuals are falsely given responsibility for things they cannot possibly control that personal responsibility loses its credibility. You don't have to blame management (or the system you're in) every time (and most people don't), but you should every time it is true, to preserve the very idea and value of responsibility itself.
- calinet6 13y ago
  100% agree! This is very Deming-esque, you know? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._Edwards_Deming http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._Edwards_Deming

rday 13y ago

I cringe each time I read this quote. It isn't helpful. I have had too many people take advantage of "second chances" by pleading ignorance. Maybe I'm just too cynical. The only take away here is that you have to treat malice and stupidity the same. The person in question either messed up intentionally, or is too stupid to do their job. You should fire them, or quit, whichever position you happen to be in.

cgore 13y ago
"Any sufficiently advanced incompetence is indistinguishable from malice."
- jfolkins 13y ago
  Heyyyyyy, no bogarting Clarke's third law. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarke's_three_laws http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarke's_three_laws
  - cgore 13y ago
    Grey's Law: http://www.johndcook.com/blog/2009/08/21/magic-stupidity-malice/ http://www.johndcook.com/blog/2009/08/21/magic-stupidity-mal...
calinet6 13y ago
It helps you frame your point of view and, true, avoid cynicism. Stupidity can also be more subtle. It's not always clear cut idiocy, there's a continuum between total and absolute head-desk stupidity, and ignorance or information blindness that's outside one's control. Whereas malice is much less a continuum: the only question is, to what degree is this person an asshole, and when will they strike next? Intentionally and willfully hurting others is another world from anything unintentional. The law treats it the same way. Hence, I believe it is helpful. In any case, it's a razor: it separates illogical conceptual rabbit-holes from that which is more likely to be true.

mtrimpe 13y ago

Interestingly enough (in the context of this thread) my personal corollary to that is: "Never attribute to incompetence that which is adequately explained by bad management."

akerl_ 13y ago
Pretty much a noop, since bad management is a subcategory of incompetence.
- mtrimpe 13y ago
  It's about not blaming bad code/product on developer incompetence though. It's a leftover from a time when I unfairly criticised a number of programmers who were actually heroically fighting to deliver a quality product under bad management.
alttab 13y ago
If you blame management every time, you'll never take responsibility for your own actions.
- calinet6 13y ago
  You'd think this, but it turns out not to be true. When a person is working under good management, with the autonomy to do what they need to be successful, the ability to get better at their work and master a field, and a clear purpose, responsibility is a given. It is when individuals are falsely given responsibility for things they cannot possibly control that personal responsibility loses its credibility. You don't have to blame management (or the system you're in) every time (and most people don't), but you should every time it is true, to preserve the very idea and value of responsibility itself.
calinet6 13y ago
100% agree! This is very Deming-esque, you know? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._Edwards_Deming http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._Edwards_Deming