Concept
Unintended consequences
Overview
In the social sciences, unintended consequences (sometimes unanticipated consequences or unforeseen consequences, more colloquially called knock-on effects) are outcomes of a purposeful action that are not intended or foreseen. The term was popularized in the 20th century by the American sociologist Robert K. Merton.
Unintended consequences can be grouped into three types:
Unexpected benefit: an unexpected benefit (also known as serendipity).
Unexpected drawback: an unexpected detrimental effect, occurring in addition to the desired one. For example, while irrigation schemes may provide farmers with water for agriculture, they may also lead to a rise in the prevalence of waterborne diseases such as schistosomiasis.
Perverse result: an effect contrary to what was originally intended. For example, while irrigation schemes intended to increase yields may improve water availability and increase agricultural yields in the short term, they might also lead to soil salination and the depletion of freshwater resources, decreasing yields in the long term.
Overview adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0; see the article history for authors).
Possible passages
Found by search and not yet checked by a person; they may only mention the idea in passing.
The man of most generous outlook has to draw the line somewhere, and he is forced to draw it in whatever concerns those closely associated with himself. In the absence of some objective regulation, effects upon them are all he can be sure of in any reasonable degree. Much of what is called selfishness is but the outcome of limitation of observation and imagination. Hence when consequences concern a large number, a…
John Dewey, The public and its problems
States what Unintended consequences is.
What is called chemical analysis is the process of searching for the causes of a phenomenon among its effects, or rather among the effects produced by the action of some other causes upon it.
John Stuart Mill, A System of Logic
States what Unintended consequences is.
In the preceding pages, such events as effect the world generally have been discussed in priority; because they are operated by certain principal and paramount causes, which are, at the same time, predominant over particular and minor events applicable only to the separate properties and natural peculiarities of individuals. The foreknowledge of these particular events is called Genethlialogy, or the science of…
Ptolemy, Ptolemy's Tetrabiblos
States what Unintended consequences is.
Philosophers who discussed Unintended consequences
Related ideas
- Feudalism
- Friedrich Hayek
- Free market
- Ireland
- John Locke
- Karl Marx
- Censorship
- Medication
- Adam Smith
- Medicine
- Max Weber
- Robert K. Merton
- Social science
- Positivism
- The New York Times
- Cold War
- Social change
- Complex system
- Delhi
- Ludwig Feuerbach
- Irrigation
- Friedrich Engels
- Cognitive bias
- New Zealand
Place in the tradition
Part of Taoism.