Generalisations
Posted in Critical thinking, FlawsA generalisation uses a specific case or specific evidence to support a general conclusion. For example:
I saw video footage of a police officer hitting a member of the public, therefore all police are thugs
Here the flaw is quite obvious; we simply cannot use such a specific case about a single police officer to draw a conclusion about all police officers.
A generalisation may also be 'sweeping', which involves drawing a conclusion of all from many. For example:
Most men like football, therefore all men like football.
Again the flaw here is obvious, we cannot move from many to all.
Generalisations are often the result of stereotypes and prejudice.