This is such an odd title to an article. Is the fallacy ever a good thing? The fallacy itself is a concept - so not really good or bad. Using it as a logical premise in an argument is recognized to be problematic.
Are we actually asking: is ever good to keep doing something you yourself hate only because you yourself already spent money on it? The answer seems clearly to be no.
IMO, it is a fallacy because the mind couldn’t distinguish if the past it is trying to compare correlates to the current situation.
It is similar to “what-about-ism” but with prices instead of other values being measured.
is it… a good thing?
there’s some very situational cases where you’d actually want to fool yourself to fight a bigger issue (like laziness/ procrastination). that’s why some people advise goes in a pattern like “start small” [if trying to start a new project] or “just write something” [for writer’s block].
But be warned, this doesn’t work for everything: it seems that spending wildly on a wedding ceremony or engagement ring doesn’t have a “sunk cost” effect – it fails to increase the likelihood of staying married.
LOL
Are you the one true creator of git and kernel? Or are you just some pretender to the throne?
I’ll say what Linus would say: You shouldn’t trust me, even if I say that I’m THE LORD HIMSELF LINUS TORVALDS.
So you’re claiming to be the Lord himself, since you claim to say what you claim he (you) would say
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Honoring past decisions and commitments Is not the sunk cost fallacy, though. The sunk cost fallacy is purely “throwing good money after bad”. The best expression is one quoted by economist Emily Oster: “If you don’t like your beer, stop drinking it.”
Going to the gym is a terrible example, because by not not going to the gym, it’s not the past you’re taking away from… it’s the future.
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Sure, that’s future-oriented. It’s stupid, but not fallacious.
But if you’re just drinking it because you paid $8 and you don’t want to “waste it”, THAT is sunk cost fallacy.
Id say the gym isnt a bad example. If I’ve been regularly and sunk that time and cost into improving my fitness, not going and sitting on the lounge eating pizza doesnt just take away from the future it also invalidates the efforts in the past (annoyingly frigging quickly too) making the “sunk cost” a loss that I might not want to lose and give me motivation.
