COGNITIVE BIAS
Omission Bias
Doing nothing feels less blameworthy
What it means
People may judge harm caused by inaction as less blameworthy than comparable harm caused by action. The distinction can matter morally, but it can also hide that choosing not to intervene is still a decision with consequences.
Typical uses
Public safety, medicine, regulation, environmental policy, management, and decisions where intervention carries visible responsibility.
ORIGIN
Where the idea came from
- Creator or lineage
- Mark Spranca, Elisa Minsk, and Jonathan Baron
- Country
- United States
- Years
- Contemporary researchers; complete birth years are not reliably published
- Development
- The term was established experimentally in 1991.
- Catchphrase
- “Doing nothing feels less blameworthy”
Harm caused by inaction may feel less blameworthy than comparable harm caused by action.
Read the source: Original 1991 research paperQUESTIONS TO ASK
- What happens if nobody acts?
- Would the harm feel different if actively caused?
- Who bears the cost of inaction?
You do not need to know this concept’s name to use its reasoning. The name simply helps you recognize, examine, and discuss the pattern.
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