Hasty generalization:
Evidential/Mathematical Fallacy
| Definition | Example |
| When a conclusion is made about a group when there are insufficient statistics or an insufficient sample size. | I drove through the town and counted 20 residents, all of them women. The town probably has only female residents. |
| Also known as: fallacy of insufficient statistics / fallacy of insufficient sample / fallacy of the lonely fact / leaping to a conclusion / hasty induction / secundum quid | |
| Notes | |
| A hasty generalization might be a result of an insufficient sample size, imprecise measurements, or subjective reporting. This is a type of faulty generalization. A more detailed treatment of faulty generalizations can be found on the supplementary Inductive Errors page. | |
Case Study One
A foreign journalist who wanted to report on New York fashion might jump to a hasty generalization if visiting New York on Halloween.
Keep in mind that a fallacious argument does not entail an erroneous position.
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