[tgv]

Nobody has spoken of malice. It could have been a simple case of one lab worker getting infected. That would count towards stupidity.

Rhetorically speaking, Hanlon's razor doesn't quite have the same weight as Occam's, if only because people tend to view behavior they don't understand as stupid. But I'll add another "razor": don't attribute to malice what can be attributed to self-interested.

[anoncake]

Malice is a form of self-interest.

[tgv]

I'd say it's a possible manifestation of self-interest, but that it isn't always self-interest. There are people that hurt others without any apparent self-interest. When it gets out of control, we call them sociopaths or psychopaths. But that's a minor point.

My point was more that the dichotomy stupidity vs. malice seems to imply that e.g. playing music, or having dinner is either stupid or bad. Many things get done out of self-interest without being malicious, or without malicious intent.

[koonsolo]

I don't know why you are getting downvoted, because your statement is 100% correct.

[anoncake]

I wonder what people who disagree think malice actually is. Randomly harming others without even enjoying it?

[darkerside]

It's called masochism

[anoncake]

Masochists like being hurt, and sadists enjoy hurting others which means doing so is in their interest.