4 ms·
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
by 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 agoHeyyyyyy, 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 agoGrey'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 agoIt 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.