Opportunists

An opportunist is a person who seeks to gain an advantage by exploiting favorable circumstances, typically prioritizing short-term benefits over long-term consistency or established principles. The term comes from the Latin opportunus, meaning favorable or timely. In everyday language it can be used neutrally to describe practical adaptability, or pejoratively to suggest unscrupulous or shifting loyalties.

In social and political contexts, opportunists are often described as those who adjust their positions, alliances, or practices in response to changing power dynamics or public opinion. Critics argue that opportunism erodes trust, undermines norms, and can destabilize institutions when individuals or groups place personal gain above shared goals or ethical considerations.

In biology and medicine, opportunism refers to organisms or pathogens that take advantage of favorable conditions. Opportunistic pathogens cause disease primarily in individuals with compromised immune systems, such as certain bacteria or fungi that can be harmless in healthy hosts but harmful when defenses are weak. In ecology, opportunistic species exploit transient resources or disturbed environments, often growing rapidly when conditions permit.

In economics and business, opportunistic behavior involves exploiting information asymmetries, ambiguities in contracts, or temporary market gaps to extract private gains. Examples include renegotiating terms after favorable developments, or acting in ways that prioritize personal or organizational gain at the expense of others. Governance mechanisms, contracts, and ethical norms aim to deter such behavior and align short-term incentives with longer-term outcomes.