Logically Fallacious: The Ultimate Collection of Over 300 Logical Fallacies (Academic Edition) (Dr. Bo's Critical Thinking Series)

by Bo Bennett

Hasty Generalization (also known as: argument from small numbers, statistics of small numbers, insufficient statistics, argument by generalization, faulty generalization, hasty induction, inductive generalization, insufficient sample, lonely fact fallacy, over generality, overgeneralization, unrepresentative sample) Description: Drawing a conclusion based on a small sample size, rather than looking at statistics that are much more in line with the typical or average situation. Logical Form: Sample S is taken from population P. Sample S is a very small part of population P. Conclusion C is drawn from sample S and applied to population P. Example #1: My father smoked four packs of cigarettes a day since age fourteen and lived until age sixty-nine. Therefore, smoking really can’t be that bad for you. Explanation: It is extremely unreasonable (and dangerous) to draw a universal conclusion about the health risks of smoking by the case study of one man. Example #2: Four out of five dentists recommend Happy Glossy Smiley toothpaste brand. Therefore, it must be great. Explanation: It turns out that only five dentists were actually asked. When a random sampling of 1000 dentists was polled, only 20% actually recommended the brand. The four out of five result was not necessarily a biased sample or a dishonest survey; it just happened to be a statistical anomaly common among small samples.