The Ripple Effect Argument

 The Ripple Effect Argument

By Michael Haimes

Premise 1: Small actions—whether good or evil—can produce far-reaching, unseen consequences over time.

Premise 2: Chaos theory, social psychology, and history confirm that minor causes can generate exponentially large effects.

Premise 3: Even small injustices, if repeated or ignored, become systemic evils.

Premise 4: Likewise, small acts of kindness or courage can reroute lives, prevent despair, and heal what statistics will never record.

Premise 5: Since the future impact of our actions is largely unknowable, we have a moral obligation to act with extraordinary care, even in the smallest things.

Conclusion:

Every choice ripples. Therefore, the smallest act of cruelty is too costly, and the smallest act of love is never wasted.