Just World Fallacy

The idea is simple, most people believe you get what you deserve. What comes around, goes around. Karma will settle the score eventually. This naïve view of the world was coined the “Just World Hypothesis” by psychologist Alan Lerner circa 1980.

The ‘just world’ cognitive bias enables believers to adapt to their social environment by assuming good deeds will be rewarded and evil will be punished. The cognitive bias is underpinned by a belief in a cosmic justice or divine order — however, this requires rationalizing the misfortune or suffering of others, because the unfortunate person must have “deserved” it. Researchers find that under the ‘just world’ view, believers tend to denigrate and blame innocent victims for their misfortune.

The bottom line is it’s not true. There’s no such thing as a ‘just world’. The universe doesn’t give a fuck about you. Good things happen to bad people, bad things happen to good people, all the time.