Hanlon's razor - a tool for cutting off cunning from stupidity

The razor, blade, blade have been considered a symbol of the sharpness of the mind. Stupidity is often called dullness and associates it with a wooden deck or other objects that can not dissect all complex matter in one fell swoop. Penetration into the very essence of the problem, its "surgical" understanding and subsequent cure is the true vocation of both the scalpel and the intellect.

Hearing the expression "Hanlon's Razor", an uninitiated person might think that we are talking about some special design of the device, designed to remove bristles from the surface of the face. Far from it, this phrase means not some material object. This is the name of the statement of the famous American writer Robert Anson Heilain, who became famous for the second part of the book about the laws of Murphy published in 1980. Translated from English, its essence lies in the call not to seek sophisticated insidiousness and cunning in places where only stupidity is present. So the narrative will not be about how to shave with a razor ...

Why a razor? And why Hanlon? Let's start from the end. Henlon - in fact, the same Highline, only the transcription is different. The author of many short stories and novels had nothing against calling him that, it's still difficult to confuse, he is too famous. Together with Asimov and Clark, Hayline is among the "big three" of the best American science fiction writers.

Now about why the winged expression is given the name "Hanlon's razor". The precise interpretation of this phrase during the life of its author was not given. Perhaps this is good, a certain mystery has always been considered an indispensable attribute of a writer, especially a science fiction writer. In addition, the lack of explanations gives freedom for independent reflection and approval, and this is also a creative process.

The most likely version is that Hanlon's razor should be ready for every sensible person, as they say, "in your pocket." This is in case of an unusual situation, when it is unclear whether some kind of florid attack has been committed against it, causing unpleasant consequences, or the incident is the fruit of someone's stupidity, which, as is known, unlike reason, there are no limits.

The Eastern wise man once noticed that cunning replaces the minds of fools, and weak strength. Hanlon's razor cuts off all of their weapons with which they are trying, and often with some success, to confront the community of people who are reasonable, but disunited, and sometimes alas, helpless against perfidy, even the most stupid and primitive.

However, the very idea of denying the existence of a conspiracy and explaining the failure of simple incompetence was known even before Heilain, he simply formulated it in an understandable and modern language. Napoleon Bonaparte sometimes had to restrain some of his generals, who saw the causes of military embarrassment in espionage and treason, while they consisted of their own mistakes. And in the Soviet Union for a long time was taken, on the contrary, to presume an evil intent among those who have something not said or done. By stupidity ...

The modern Russian writer Pelevin also gave his version of Hanlon's razor, in which he claims that it is not secret lodges, but an obvious crap rules the world.