human fallibility
Mortal capacity for mistakes
Human fallibility is the capacity for error built into being human—the recognition that people make mistakes, misjudge situations, and hold false beliefs despite good intentions.
The phrase appears in discussions of institutional design, where systems account for human fallibility rather than assuming perfect judgment: The Constitution's checks and balances reflect an understanding of human fallibility.
It often carries a tone of humility or forgiveness.
- misjudgmentFaulty evaluation of something
- slipMinor error or misstep
- memory lapseBrief forgetting episode
- honest mistakeUnintended error without deception
- biasUnfair inclination or prejudice
poor judgment · ignorance · jumping to conclusions · miscalculation · overconfidence · mea culpa · hindsight bias · groupthink · impulsivity · miscommunication · self-deception · fear · prejudice · inattentiveness · regret · second guessing · guilt · rationalization
human fallibilityperfection
Absence of any fault
infallibility · flawlessness · inerrancy · impeccability · faultlessness
human fallibilitydivine perfection
Absolute sacred completeness
papal infallibility · transcendent wisdom · absolute truth · godhood
human, fallacy, fallacious, infallible, fallible, fallibility, infallibility