Hasty Generalization
Category: Logical Fallacy
What is it?
A hasty generalization occurs when someone draws a broad conclusion based on a small or unrepresentative sample. It jumps to conclusions without adequate evidence to support such a wide claim.
Examples
Person A: 'I met two rude people from that country, so people from that country must be rude.'
Person B: 'The first three customers loved our new product, so it's going to be a huge success.'
How to Avoid This
Ensure your sample size is large enough and representative before drawing broad conclusions. Be cautious about generalizing from anecdotes or limited experiences.
How to Counter This
Question the representativeness of the sample: 'Is your experience with just a few cases really enough to draw such a broad conclusion about all cases?'