Abuse Of Unintended Consequences

Posted: 6/8/2012 Updated: 1/23/2015

Your First Reaction

Whenever you hear or read that so often used term “unintended consequences”, the first thing that should come to your mind is that this is a lame excuse or a obvious sign of laziness of thought.

Many Negative Consequences Are

Known Beforehand Or Are Foreseeable

According to Wikipedia this concept of unintended consequences was popularized by the late Robert K. Merton in his seminal paper titled "The Unanticipated Consequences of Purposive Social Action" published in 1936.

I would argue that many negative consequences of purposive actions are known in advance by those in power and control, but they prefer to have it their way anyway. Ends justify the means. History is littered with evidence.

A Cheap And Convenient Excuse

Willful, ignorant and/or deceptive politicians or regulators often use the argument of unintended consequences as a plausible sounding denial and shrug off their failed policies.

Lack Of Faith

The European obsession with the precautionary principle (I wrote a separate blog on this subject) is probably also founded in the exaggerated belief in net negative or detrimental consequences of human actions.