Hasty generalization

From Free net encyclopedia

Hasty generalization, also known as "fallacy of insufficient statistics", "fallacy of insufficient sample", "fallacy of the lonely fact", "leaping to a conclusion", "hasty induction", "law of small numbers" or "secundum quid", is the logical fallacy of reaching an inductive generalization based on too little evidence.

Examples with contradictions

  • "I loved the hit song, therefore I'll love the album it's on": Fallacious because the album might have one good song and lots of filler.
  • "This Web site looks OK to me on my computer; therefore, it will look OK on your computer, too": Fallacious because many computers present content differently.

See also faulty generalization for other fallacies involving generalization.

External links and references

nl:Overhaaste generalisatie