NControlofU
Posts: 204
Joined: 11/14/2005 Status: offline
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All generalizations are dangerous, even this one. -- Alexandre Dumas (From an 8th grade language arts textbook) Making Generalizations A generalization is a broad statement about a particular subject, a statement that may be based on a number of facts or observations about the subject. For example, if you study surveys or reports about the world’s climate, you might make the generalization that “The planet is getting warmer.” To make good generalizations, be sure to review all the available evidence. However, avoid making generalizations that are too broad; these may be invalid or false. Words such as “all” "most" or “none”, etc. often signal generalizations that are too broad. Hasty Generalizations Fallacy of Insufficient Statistics, Fallacy of Insufficient Sample, Leaping to A Conclusion, Hasty Induction. This fallacy is committed when a person draws a conclusion about a population based on a sample that is not large enough. Hasty Generalization is committed when the sample (the observed instances) is too small. It is important to have samples that are large enough when making a generalization. People often commit Hasty Generalizations because of bias or prejudice. All generalizations are dangerous, even this one. -- Alexandre Dumas
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