Concept of not doing something now because it will be solved automatically later
Is there a name for the concept where you don't solve something in the short-term with low effort, because it will be solved with no-effort further down the line?
Examples:
A software company won't fix an issue in their current software because later down the line they'll migrate to new software without the issue.
A person doesn't replace their shoelaces when broken because they intend on buying new shoes in the future anyway.
A car company won't improve fuel consumption of current models of cars with internal combustion engines because they expect future generations will be electric.
Some named concepts which are not applicable but describe other things are: Tech debt, Sunk cost, Opportunity cost.
edit:
To clearify. This is not the case of a problem solving itself. Effort is spent to solve the problem. It's a case where efforts towards solving the issue now will be made redundant later.
For instance, consider a man walking to work because he doesn't own a bus-pass or a car. He's bought a car which will arrive in 2 months. So he decides not to buy a bus pass now, even though that would solve his issue in the short term at a low cost, because that would make no sense to own once he gets a car, which at a much higher cost will solve his original transportation issue in the long run.
Though for the sake of keeping it related and not becoming a sunk cost fallacy, assume that he will pay for the car per month after the fact.
I guess it could potentially be a "preemptive cost sinking fallacy".
concept
asked 13 hours ago
Tom DandyTom Dandy
42
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Is there a name for the concept where you don't solve something in the short-term with low effort, because it will be solved with no-effort further down the line?
Examples:
A software company won't fix an issue in their current software because later down the line they'll migrate to new software without the issue.
A person doesn't replace their shoelaces when broken because they intend on buying new shoes in the future anyway.
A car company won't improve fuel consumption of current models of cars with internal combustion engines because they expect future generations will be electric.
Some named concepts which are not applicable but describe other things are: Tech debt, Sunk cost, Opportunity cost.
edit:
To clearify. This is not the case of a problem solving itself. Effort is spent to solve the problem. It's a case where efforts towards solving the issue now will be made redundant later.
For instance, consider a man walking to work because he doesn't own a bus-pass or a car. He's bought a car which will arrive in 2 months. So he decides not to buy a bus pass now, even though that would solve his issue in the short term at a low cost, because that would make no sense to own once he gets a car, which at a much higher cost will solve his original transportation issue in the long run.
Though for the sake of keeping it related and not becoming a sunk cost fallacy, assume that he will pay for the car per month after the fact.
I guess it could potentially be a "preemptive cost sinking fallacy".
concept
asked 13 hours ago
Tom DandyTom Dandy
42
New contributor
Tom Dandy is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Or when people refuse to do anything about Climate Change because they figure their grandkids will take care of it.
– Hot Licks
13 hours ago
I feel like that's related but a different concept because there it's based on an expectation of some unknown resolution. This is more like us not doing anything about climate change today if we knew for sure that in 50 years, some event is going to happen that would make our solution redundant and solve it anyway. For climate change we don't have certainty about such an event. I guess it would be like Ford going out and saying "we will no longer work to reduce fuel consumption of internal combustion engines, because all cars will be electric in the future anyway".
– Tom Dandy
13 hours ago
1
It could be termed laziness, efficiency, etc. Please add some information to narrow it down.
– Lawrence
12 hours ago
@Lawrence neither of those terms fit the concept. "He didn't walk the dog because he was lazy" does not mean that the dog will be walked later without effort on his part. In the same way that "Ford wont reduce fuel consumption because of efficiency" does not convey that it would be later made redundant because of an expected transition to electric vehicles. You are mentioning descriptions that could said about the concept, but not names for the concept.
– Tom Dandy
12 hours ago
2
Those need to be edited into the question.
– Lawrence
12 hours ago
|
show 8 more comments
Is there a name for the concept where you don't solve something in the short-term with low effort, because it will be solved with no-effort further down the line?
Examples:
A software company won't fix an issue in their current software because later down the line they'll migrate to new software without the issue.
A person doesn't replace their shoelaces when broken because they intend on buying new shoes in the future anyway.
A car company won't improve fuel consumption of current models of cars with internal combustion engines because they expect future generations will be electric.
Some named concepts which are not applicable but describe other things are: Tech debt, Sunk cost, Opportunity cost.
edit:
To clearify. This is not the case of a problem solving itself. Effort is spent to solve the problem. It's a case where efforts towards solving the issue now will be made redundant later.
For instance, consider a man walking to work because he doesn't own a bus-pass or a car. He's bought a car which will arrive in 2 months. So he decides not to buy a bus pass now, even though that would solve his issue in the short term at a low cost, because that would make no sense to own once he gets a car, which at a much higher cost will solve his original transportation issue in the long run.
Though for the sake of keeping it related and not becoming a sunk cost fallacy, assume that he will pay for the car per month after the fact.
I guess it could potentially be a "preemptive cost sinking fallacy".
concept
asked 13 hours ago
Tom DandyTom Dandy
42
New contributor
Tom Dandy is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Is there a name for the concept where you don't solve something in the short-term with low effort, because it will be solved with no-effort further down the line?
Examples:
A software company won't fix an issue in their current software because later down the line they'll migrate to new software without the issue.
A person doesn't replace their shoelaces when broken because they intend on buying new shoes in the future anyway.
A car company won't improve fuel consumption of current models of cars with internal combustion engines because they expect future generations will be electric.
Some named concepts which are not applicable but describe other things are: Tech debt, Sunk cost, Opportunity cost.
edit:
To clearify. This is not the case of a problem solving itself. Effort is spent to solve the problem. It's a case where efforts towards solving the issue now will be made redundant later.
For instance, consider a man walking to work because he doesn't own a bus-pass or a car. He's bought a car which will arrive in 2 months. So he decides not to buy a bus pass now, even though that would solve his issue in the short term at a low cost, because that would make no sense to own once he gets a car, which at a much higher cost will solve his original transportation issue in the long run.
Though for the sake of keeping it related and not becoming a sunk cost fallacy, assume that he will pay for the car per month after the fact.
I guess it could potentially be a "preemptive cost sinking fallacy".
concept
concept
asked 13 hours ago
Tom DandyTom Dandy
42
New contributor
Tom Dandy is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 13 hours ago
Tom DandyTom Dandy
42
New contributor
Tom Dandy is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
edited 3 hours ago
Tom Dandy
asked 13 hours ago
Tom DandyTom Dandy
42
New contributor
Tom Dandy is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked 13 hours ago
Tom DandyTom Dandy
42
asked 13 hours ago
Tom DandyTom Dandy
42
42
New contributor
Tom Dandy is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
Tom Dandy is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Tom Dandy is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Or when people refuse to do anything about Climate Change because they figure their grandkids will take care of it.
– Hot Licks
13 hours ago
I feel like that's related but a different concept because there it's based on an expectation of some unknown resolution. This is more like us not doing anything about climate change today if we knew for sure that in 50 years, some event is going to happen that would make our solution redundant and solve it anyway. For climate change we don't have certainty about such an event. I guess it would be like Ford going out and saying "we will no longer work to reduce fuel consumption of internal combustion engines, because all cars will be electric in the future anyway".
– Tom Dandy
13 hours ago
1
It could be termed laziness, efficiency, etc. Please add some information to narrow it down.
– Lawrence
12 hours ago
@Lawrence neither of those terms fit the concept. "He didn't walk the dog because he was lazy" does not mean that the dog will be walked later without effort on his part. In the same way that "Ford wont reduce fuel consumption because of efficiency" does not convey that it would be later made redundant because of an expected transition to electric vehicles. You are mentioning descriptions that could said about the concept, but not names for the concept.
– Tom Dandy
12 hours ago
2
Those need to be edited into the question.
– Lawrence
12 hours ago
|
show 8 more comments
Or when people refuse to do anything about Climate Change because they figure their grandkids will take care of it.
– Hot Licks
13 hours ago
I feel like that's related but a different concept because there it's based on an expectation of some unknown resolution. This is more like us not doing anything about climate change today if we knew for sure that in 50 years, some event is going to happen that would make our solution redundant and solve it anyway. For climate change we don't have certainty about such an event. I guess it would be like Ford going out and saying "we will no longer work to reduce fuel consumption of internal combustion engines, because all cars will be electric in the future anyway".
– Tom Dandy
13 hours ago
1
It could be termed laziness, efficiency, etc. Please add some information to narrow it down.
– Lawrence
12 hours ago
@Lawrence neither of those terms fit the concept. "He didn't walk the dog because he was lazy" does not mean that the dog will be walked later without effort on his part. In the same way that "Ford wont reduce fuel consumption because of efficiency" does not convey that it would be later made redundant because of an expected transition to electric vehicles. You are mentioning descriptions that could said about the concept, but not names for the concept.
– Tom Dandy
12 hours ago
2
Those need to be edited into the question.
– Lawrence
12 hours ago
Or when people refuse to do anything about Climate Change because they figure their grandkids will take care of it.
– Hot Licks
13 hours ago
Or when people refuse to do anything about Climate Change because they figure their grandkids will take care of it.
– Hot Licks
13 hours ago
I feel like that's related but a different concept because there it's based on an expectation of some unknown resolution. This is more like us not doing anything about climate change today if we knew for sure that in 50 years, some event is going to happen that would make our solution redundant and solve it anyway. For climate change we don't have certainty about such an event. I guess it would be like Ford going out and saying "we will no longer work to reduce fuel consumption of internal combustion engines, because all cars will be electric in the future anyway".
– Tom Dandy
13 hours ago
I feel like that's related but a different concept because there it's based on an expectation of some unknown resolution. This is more like us not doing anything about climate change today if we knew for sure that in 50 years, some event is going to happen that would make our solution redundant and solve it anyway. For climate change we don't have certainty about such an event. I guess it would be like Ford going out and saying "we will no longer work to reduce fuel consumption of internal combustion engines, because all cars will be electric in the future anyway".
– Tom Dandy
13 hours ago
1
1
It could be termed laziness, efficiency, etc. Please add some information to narrow it down.
– Lawrence
12 hours ago
It could be termed laziness, efficiency, etc. Please add some information to narrow it down.
– Lawrence
12 hours ago
@Lawrence neither of those terms fit the concept. "He didn't walk the dog because he was lazy" does not mean that the dog will be walked later without effort on his part. In the same way that "Ford wont reduce fuel consumption because of efficiency" does not convey that it would be later made redundant because of an expected transition to electric vehicles. You are mentioning descriptions that could said about the concept, but not names for the concept.
– Tom Dandy
12 hours ago
@Lawrence neither of those terms fit the concept. "He didn't walk the dog because he was lazy" does not mean that the dog will be walked later without effort on his part. In the same way that "Ford wont reduce fuel consumption because of efficiency" does not convey that it would be later made redundant because of an expected transition to electric vehicles. You are mentioning descriptions that could said about the concept, but not names for the concept.
– Tom Dandy
12 hours ago
2
2
Those need to be edited into the question.
– Lawrence
12 hours ago
Those need to be edited into the question.
– Lawrence
12 hours ago
|
show 8 more comments
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Or when people refuse to do anything about Climate Change because they figure their grandkids will take care of it.
– Hot Licks
13 hours ago
I feel like that's related but a different concept because there it's based on an expectation of some unknown resolution. This is more like us not doing anything about climate change today if we knew for sure that in 50 years, some event is going to happen that would make our solution redundant and solve it anyway. For climate change we don't have certainty about such an event. I guess it would be like Ford going out and saying "we will no longer work to reduce fuel consumption of internal combustion engines, because all cars will be electric in the future anyway".
– Tom Dandy
13 hours ago
1
It could be termed laziness, efficiency, etc. Please add some information to narrow it down.
– Lawrence
12 hours ago
@Lawrence neither of those terms fit the concept. "He didn't walk the dog because he was lazy" does not mean that the dog will be walked later without effort on his part. In the same way that "Ford wont reduce fuel consumption because of efficiency" does not convey that it would be later made redundant because of an expected transition to electric vehicles. You are mentioning descriptions that could said about the concept, but not names for the concept.
– Tom Dandy
12 hours ago
2
Those need to be edited into the question.
– Lawrence
12 hours ago