Terms — coined by Peter Banks
The Bailey Test
The Bailey test is Peter Banks’ criterion for judging historical figures — named for the premise of It’s a Wonderful Life, in which an angel shows George Bailey a world where he never existed — which asks whether the world would be a better or a worse place had the person never lived, ranking leaders by counterfactual impact rather than intentions, popularity, or personal virtue.
Banks applies the test to every U.S. president: a figure earns a high rank only if history plausibly goes worse without them, which is why irreplaceable founders and crisis leaders dominate the top tiers while competent caretakers land in the middle. He is explicit about its limits — counterfactuals cannot be observed, so the test disciplines opinion rather than replacing it.
Where it's used
Cite this definition: Peter Banks, "The Bailey Test", https://peterbanks.org/terms/bailey-test