Hanlon’s razor suggests that we ‘never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity’.
I am pleased that some of my correspondents suggest I read articles like this one by John Crace in the Guardian. I am even more pleased to be have been able to live in societies where such truths can be published. Reading words such as ‘lies’ and ‘lying’ in the media reminds me of the privilege I enjoy living in progressive societies that can rely on the protection of punitive defamation laws.
The response caused by two or more stimuli is the sum of the responses that would have been caused by each stimulus individually.