
What makes a good excuse? - hhs
https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/what-makes-a-good-excuse-a-cambridge-philosopher-may-have-the-answer
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mettamage
Here is a story of the principle in action and working.

When I was deep diving into rhetoric (for a course), I needed a good excuse
for an appointment at my thesis project. My thesis supervisor was being very
unfair and not respecting my time at all by being non-negotiable and simply
demanding when I would be there and when. The things I did were not related to
my thesis and it felt very disrespectful (especially when I contrasted it with
my computer science thesis). It made me feel like an unpaid temp worker,
because I simply was one (that has never happened before or after and I have
done 5 theses in total). At one point I really needed to get out under an
obligation.

I used 2 principles:

\- the one in the article and

\- hide your lie in as much truth as possible

She was a psychology thesis supervisor and not all that knowledgeable about
computers.

I told her my computer completely bricked itself and that I needed my code on
there (I didn't back it up) because there was an assignment tonight that would
simply be the difference of studying for one extra year or graduating that
summer. She knew I was doing multiple study programs, a fact that I
communicated well in advance. It would take at least 24 hours to get my data
back based on past experience.

She was really pissed, but because she couldn't blame it on me but on my
computer she didn't make me go there. She did ask me to come another day which
was fine by me, since it was at a moment when I had a lot less going on. She
never held it against me.

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lonelappde
If she is as you described, I'm surprised that she didn't didn't simply say
"failure to prepare on your part is not an emergency on my part".

~~~
mettamage
Two things:

1\. I don't think she'd think about backups and I didn't mention them.

2\. I simply wouldn't have come and was prepared to drop the thesis and simply
redo it next year. In retrospect, it's the only thesis that didn't teach me
much (other than how to cope with a very unfortunate situation) and was very
unfulfilling. I'm a bit ashamed I went through with it.

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Cenk
Link to paper:
[http://paulinasliwa.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/0/4/19046427/fina...](http://paulinasliwa.weebly.com/uploads/1/9/0/4/19046427/final_submission.pdf)

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RocketSyntax
Higher/ moral priorities. Time sensitivity.

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lonelappde
Article is a lot of word to say "rationalization makes a good excuse". If your
excuse seems justified, it will be accepted.

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martokus
I cannot believe someone gets paid to study what is common knowledge that kids
as young as 8 9 years of age know of. When they want to skip school they don't
say I don't feel like it, they say they are poorly.

Is it more official now as Cambridge said it? How is this helpful in any way
towards the common good?

