Hasty generalization

Hasty generalization is an informal fallacy of generalisation by making decisions based on too little evidence or without recognizing all of the variables. In statistics, it may mean basing broad conclusions of a survey from a small sample group. "Fallacy: Hasty Generalization" at Nizkor.org ; retrieved 2013-4-18.

A hasty generalization made from a single example is sometimes called the "fallacy of the lonely fact"Fisher, David Hackett. (1970). ''Historians' Fallacies: Toward a Logic of Historical Thought, pp. 109-110. or the "proof by example fallacy".Marchant, Jamie. "Logical Fallacies" ; retrieved 2013-4-18.

When evidence is intentionally excluded to bias the result, it is sometimes termed the "fallacy of exclusion". "Unrepresentative Sample"; retrieved 2013-4-18.

Example
Hasty generalization may follow this pattern

X is true for A.

X is true for B.

X is true for C.

X is true for D.

Therefore, X is true for E, F, G, etc.

Related pages
 Blind men and an elephant
 Syllogism
 Conflation

References

 Other websites 
 "List of Common Logical Fallacies in Propaganda and Debate" at Gatecreepers.com 
 "Hasty Generalization" at FallacyFiles.org

Category:Logical fallacies