Hanlon's Razor: Difference between revisions

{{quote|''Any sufficiently advanced incompetence is indistinguishable from malice.''}}

 

 

[[Romanticism Versus Enlightenment|In the war between Romanticism and Enlightenment]], Hanlon's Razor is decidedly on the side of Enlightenment (if most bad things are the result of stupidity, incompetence, and ignorance, then one can make the future better through education and good design/idiot-proofing). Not to be confused with [[Occam's Razor]], although the two can end up being [[Invoked Trope|Invoke]] together. See also [[No Delays for The Wicked]].

== Fan Fiction ==

 

* [[Played for Laughs]] in another ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Animation)|My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic]]'' [[Fanfic]] ''Fanfic/Moonbeam'' where one of Luna's friends thinks Celestia is also a manipulative tyrant, only {{spoiler|she's really just bored and likes pulling harmless pranks.}} Even funnier as Luna figures this out in about 2 seconds, and said friend is the local [[Grumpy Bear]].

** Later we find out Celestia's real reason {{spoiler|so she can spend some time with the mane six, who are the closest things Celestia has to friends.}}

 

* ''[[Hamlet]]''. There's malice in plenty here, but nobody is fully in control of their schemes.

 

== Video Games ==

*** Also, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the Austrian heir to the throne whose death started the mess, was the strongest opponent to a war with Serbia among the Austrian leaders, reputedly having said that such a war's only gain would be "some plum trees and poachers". (Plum liquor was the vodka equivalent in Serbia.)

**** Likewise, France and Germany had been itching for a rematch for some time. France was hoping to get back territory taken in the last war, and Germany was ready to take another slice (or vice-versa).

** Kaiser Wilhelm II revealed his immaturity and foolishness openly in an interview in the ''Daily Telegraph'' in 1908. His rash words about Great Britain ("You English are mad, mad, mad as March hares!") caused an international uproar, but he still kept on ruling Germany.

*** To be fair to the unpleasant Hohenzollern, in Germany itself Wilhelm had previously been seen as far too accomodating to the British, who were generally unpopular in the ''Deutsches Reich''. He was attempting to shore up his domestic popularity. It didn't work.

* A ''very'' controversial theory, put forward by the British historian [[AJP Taylor]], suggests that [[Adolf Hitler]] was ''not'' the evil scheming mastermind who had filed on his plans for world domination since the "Beer Hall Putsch" (as described in a certain piece of prison literature called ''Mein Kampf''), but instead was a more or less buffoonish opportunist, who initially never thought of actually pulling through any of his ”world domination schemes" (i.e. the invasion of Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, France, Soviet Union, etc).<br /><br />According to Taylor, Hitler was a small fish in the big pond who got real lucky with his new title of "chancellor", and actually tried to [[Metaphorgotten|weasel]] his way up as he swam with the stream, and that it was not until Britain and France had demonstrated their lack of stamina in enforcing the Versailles Treaty towards Germany that Hitler decided he could go even a step further and become more bratty. For Instance, when he attempted to remilitarise the initially demilitarised Rhine area (whose demilitarisation was in return surveilled by France). He sent over troops on ''bikes and horses'', just in case the French retaliated and he needed to make a speedy retreat. When they didn't, he simply tested the patience of the Entente nations all the way to the invasion of Czechoslovakia and finally of Poland, when France and Britain finally declared war, realising that they had missed too many opportunities to stand up to Germany rather than appease. [[Sarcasm Mode|Thank you very much indeed]], [[Neville Chamberlain]].<br /><br />''"But what about the fact that he had already described his ''master plans'' 15 years prior in meticulous detail in ''Mein Kampf''?"'' you may ask. Well the old saying "People say a lot of things when in prison" might explain it. He might also have attempted to garner more popularity among the public from prison, although that wouldn't make any difference in the end.

** Many historians also suggest that Hitler had no idea he was going to try to exterminate the Jewish people until as late as 1941. When the ghettoisation of Poland began, the plan was just to quarantine them.

** The facts of 9/11 boil down to two possibilities: dozens, if not hundreds, of American politicians, servicemen, and agents (With full cooperation from the airlines and airport authorities) deliberately and maliciously abandoned their oaths of protection and conspired to murder (by action or inaction) their fellow countrymen, or those in charge made a mistake and thought that the 9/11 plan wasn't a threat. I call [[Finagle's Law]].

*** Here in Germany, people have been [[World War II|even more stupid once]]. It actually happens very easily once a country is in the right mental state.

[[Category:Logical Fallacies]]

[[Category:Hanlons Razor]]