What it sounds like
- I met one rude person from that town, so everyone there is rude.
- "Two customers complained, so everyone hates the redesign." Or two customers complained, which is also a sentence.
Logical fallacy
Hasty Generalization
Making a broad claim from too little evidence.
Classic tell: I met one rude person from that town, so everyone there is rude.
Back to the guideFurther explanation
What is happening underneath?
Making a broad claim from too little evidence.
A tiny sample gets promoted to universal law. The confidence is large; the evidence is wearing toddler shoes.
How to tell
- The conclusion is broad while the sample is small, biased, recent, or emotionally memorable.
Why people use it
- Brains love quick rules because uncertainty is expensive.
How to combat it
- Say: "How large and representative is the sample?"
Manipulation watch
How this gets used on people.
- Ads use selective anecdotes to make one shiny result look like a typical outcome.