DEFINED THE GLOSSARY OF OUR BOOK DEFINES A GENERALIZATION AS AN ARGUMENT USED TO SUPPORT A GENERAL STATEMENT THE WORD ALSO IS USED AS A SYNONYM FOR GENERAL STATEMENT GENERALITY IS DEFINED AS A LACK OF DETAIL OR SPECIFICITY THE MORE DIFFERENT KINDS OF XS TO WHICH THE WORD FOR ES APPLIE ID: 314765
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generalizationsSlide2
DEFINED:
THE GLOSSARY OF OUR BOOK DEFINES A
GENERALIZATION
AS AN ARGUMENT USED TO SUPPORT A GENERAL STATEMENT. THE WORD ALSO IS USED AS A SYNONYM FOR GENERAL STATEMENT.
GENERALITY
IS DEFINED AS A LACK OF DETAIL OR SPECIFICITY. THE MORE DIFFERENT KINDS OF X'S TO WHICH THE WORD FOR E'S APPLIES, THE MORE GENERAL THAT WORD IS.Slide3
2 CATEGORIES OF GENERALIZATIONS
GENERALIZING FROM TOO FEW CASES (HASTY GENERALIZATION)
GENERALIZING FROM EXCEPTIONAL CASESSlide4
GENERALIZATIONS FROM TOO FEW CASES:Slide5
HASTY GENERALIZTIION
OR
FALLACY OF THE LONELY FACT
ARRIVING AT A GENERAL STATEMENT OR RULE BY CITING TOO FEW SUPPORTING CASES.
SUPPORT IS SO WEAK AS TO COUNT AS NON-EXISTENT.
SPEAKER OFFERS A "LONELY FACT"
EXAMPLE:
EVERYONE IN OMAHA IS SO NICE, JUDGING FROM THE WAY MY NEIGHBOR TREATS ME.
*JUST BECAUSE ONE PERSON (MY NEIGHBOR) IS NICE DOES NOT INDICATE THAT THE ENTIRE POPULATION OF THAT TOWN IS NICE AS WELL.Slide6
ARGUMENT BY ANECDOTE
A FALLACY THAT OCCURS WHEN A SPEAKER OR WRITER TRIES TO SUPPORT A GENERAL CLAIM BY OFFERING A STORY.
A STORY IS A SINGLE INCIDENT
MAY CARRY PSYCHOLOGICAL WEIGHT, BUT IT HAS LITTLE LOGICAL FORCE.
EXAMPLE:
DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE COPS BEATING THAT UNARMED MAN LAST NIGHT. THEY HIT HIM WITH THEIR BATONS 5 OR SIX TIMES, AND HE WASN'T EVEN CARRYING A WEAPON. THE COPS ARE ALWAYS USING EXCESSIVE FORCE IN THEIR ARRESTS.Slide7
FALLACY OF SMALL SAMPLE
A FALLACY THAT OCCURS WHEN A SPEAKER OR WRITER GENERALIZES ABOUT A LARGE OR HETEROGENEOUS POPULATION ON THE BASIS OF TOO SMALL A SAMPLE.
SUPPORTING A CONCLUSION ABOUT A LARGE POPULATION BY CONSIDERING A SAMPLE CONSISTING OF A SINGLE PERSON
REMEMBER: GENERALIZATIONS FROM SMALL SAMPLES OF HOMOGENEOUS POPULATIONS MAY NOT BE FALLACIOUS
EXAMPLE:
EVERYONE IN NEBRASKA IS DUMB. I MET THIS GUY FROM LINCOLN THAT TOLD ME ESPN IS WHEN YOU CAN READ PEOPLE'S MINDS.
*JUST BECAUSE ONE PERSON, THAT HAPPENS TO BE FROM NEBRASKA, MISTOOK ESPN FOR ESP DOES NOT MEAN THE ENTIRE STATE OF NEBRASKA IS FULL OF DUMB PEOPLE. IT DOESN'T EVEN MEAN THAT THIS ONE PERSON IS DUMB. HE MAY HAVE MISPOKE, OR EVEN SPOKE TO SOON.Slide8
GENERALIZING FROM EXCEPTIONAL CASES:Slide9
GENERALIZATION FROM EXCEPTIONAL CASES
ARRIVING AT A GENERAL STATEMENT OR RULE BY CITING AN ATYPICAL SUPPORTING CASE
"EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES"
EXAMPLE:
IT IS ACCEPTABLE FOR AN EMPLOYER TO FIRE AN EMPLOYEE IF THAT EMPLOYEE FAILS A DRUG TEST. THEREFORE IT SHOULD BE ACCEPTABLE FOR AN EMPLOYER TO FIRE AN EMPLOYEE FOR ANYTHING THE FEEL NECESSARY.Slide10
FALLACY OF BIASED SAMPLE
OCCURS WHEN A SPEAKER OR WRITER INCAUTIOUSLY BASES A GENERALIZATION ABOUT A LARGE POPULATION ON AN ATYPICAL OR SKEWED SAMPLE.
SAMPLE IS POTENTIALLY ATYPICAL OR SKEWEED
EXAMPLE:
everyone on fox news is in favor of the death penalty. therefore most Americans are in favor of the death penalty.
*this is a biased sample because the people at fox news "may have" atypical opinions.Slide11
Self-selection fallacy
happens when someone generalizes incautiously from a self-selected sample
a self-selected sample is one whose members are included by their own decision.
example:
60% of Americans hate lebron james according to a voluntary online survey conducted by espn.
*This survey is not representative of the millions of people that did not bother to take this online survey.Slide12
distinguishing
Generalizations are the opposite of accident. accident is when a speaker/writer assumes generality automatically applies to a specific case; where as generalizations are applied to broad group/case from one atypical, specific, or extreme circumstance
weak analogies are just generalizations made from comparisons
"In a way, all fallacies are generalizations"...wait a minute, did I just commit a generalization fallacy?