Home › Examples › Hanlon's razor examplesHanlon's razor examples
Never attribute to malice what is adequately explained by carelessness, stress, or simple mistake. Most 'attacks' are just people not paying attention.
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5 examples of hanlon's razor
The ignored message It feels like a snub, but they probably just missed it in a flooded inbox, not iced you out.
The cut-off in traffic The driver wasn't out to get you — they didn't see you, or were distracted.
The blunt reply A curt email reads as hostile, but they were rushing between meetings, not picking a fight.
The broken promise Your colleague forgot, not betrayed you; overload explains far more than spite.
The 'sabotaged' project What looks like someone undermining you is usually a missed handoff or unclear instruction.
How to spot it in yourself
When someone's action stings, generate the boring, non-malicious explanation first — they forgot, misread, or were overwhelmed.
Act on the assumption of a mistake until you have real evidence of intent; you'll be right more often and calmer.
Before firing off an angry reply, ask "what's the most likely innocent reason for this?"
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