Hanlon's razor

Hanlon's razor is an adage or rule of thumb that states:^[1]

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

It is a philosophical razor that suggests a way of eliminating unlikely explanations for human behavior. It is probably named after Robert J. Hanlon, who submitted the statement to Murphy's Law Book Two (1980).^[1] Similar statements have been recorded since at least the 18th century.