Hasty generalization (
fallacy of insufficient statistics,
fallacy of insufficient sample,
fallacy of the lonely fact,
leaping to a conclusion,
hasty induction) is the
logical fallacy of reaching a
inductive generalization based on too little evidence.
Examples:
- "I loved the hit song, therefore I'll love the album it's on." (Fallacious because the album might have one good song and lots of filler.)
- "This Web site looks OK to me on my computer; therefore, it will look OK on your computer, too." (My screen size is smaller than yours, and I'm using a computer in a public library, so I can't adjust it!)
- "In my lifetime, there has been a leap year every fourth year; therefore, every fourth year, past, present, and future, is a leap year." (Not true; see leap year article.)
- "My dog is black. Therefore, all dogs must be black."
See also faulty generalization for other fallacies involving generalization.