Topic: Generalisation
Errors in applying general rules, classes, or levels of description to cases – including overbroad rules, insufficient evidence, exceptions that swallow the rule, and unjustified fact-to-value leaps.
| Fallacy | Trigger – look for … |
|---|---|
| Accident fallacy | A general rule (law, principle, norm) applied rigidly to a specific case where special circumstances would warrant an exception. |
| Hasty generalization | A broad or universal rule inferred from too few (or unrepresentative) instances of a class. |
| Mereological fallacy | A property of a system is attributed to a component, or properties of components are assumed to transfer unchanged to the system, ignoring emergent interactions. |
| Naturalistic fallacy | A prescriptive conclusion (what ought to be) inferred directly from a descriptive premise (what is), or vice versa – without independent justification for the normative leap. |
| Overwhelming exception | A general rule or claim is stated together with so many or so broad exceptions that the original statement is left with little or no meaningful scope, yet is presented as if it were still substantially valid. |
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