Named Principles

Name Desc
Betteridge’s Law of Headlines Any headline which ends in a question mark can be answered by the word 'no'
Brandolini’s Law The amount of energy needed to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude bigger than to produce it
Brooks’s law Adding manpower to a late software project makes it later
Dunning–Kruger Effect A cognitive bias in which unskilled individuals overestimate their own competence
Eagleson's Law Any code you wrote more than six months ago might as well have been written by someone else
Gish gallop Overwhelming someone with as many arguments as possible, without regard for the accuracy or strength of the arguments
Godwin's Law As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one
Law of Least Possible Simulation There can be no model of the universe smaller than the universe itself
Matilda Effect When women do the work and men get the credit
Occum's Razor The simplest answer is usually true
Osborne Effect When premature discussion of future products damages sales of current ones
Pareto Principle 80% of consequences stem from 20% of the causes
Peter Principle Every employee tends to rise to their level of incompetence
Poe's Law Any parodic or sarcastic expression of extreme views can be mistaken for a sincere expression of those views
Postel's Law Be conservative in what you send, be liberal in what you accept
Shirky Principle Institutions will try to preserve the problem to which they are the solution
Streisand Effect Any attempt to hide, remove, or censor a piece of information brings it into the spotlight
Sturgeon's Law 90% of everything is crud

Sources:

Last update: December 24, 2025