GENERALIZATIONSHASTY & SWEEPING

Week 11

GENERALIZATION

“No matter what they say, salesmen don’t care

about the people they sell to. They just want your

money.”• Group- salesmen• Sample- number of salesmen

A generalization takes a sample and draws a

conclusion.

STRONG AND WEAK GENERALIZATION

Generalizations are not certain instead they are

strong or weak

The stronger a generalization ,the more likely it is

to be correct.

IS IT STRONG OR WEAK

All German Shepherds are ferocious. I have owned

4, and they were all ferocious.

Every German Sheppard I know is kind hearted,

therefore all German Sheppard's are kind hearted.

Most vacations are fun.

HASTY GENERALIZATION

A generalization based on a small or poor sample.

To avoid the fallacy do not be bias or lazy.

1.Smith, who is from England,

decides to attend graduate school at

Ohio State University. He has never

been to the US before. The day after

he arrives, he is walking back from an

orientation session and sees two white

(albino) squirrels chasing each other

around a tree. In his next letter home,

he tells his family that American

squirrels are white

EXAMPLE

EXAMPLE

SWEEPING GENERALIZATION

The fallacy of sweeping generalization is

committed when a rule that is generally accepted to

be correct is used incorrectly in a particular

instance.

Children should be seen and not heard.

( Little Wolfgang Amadeus is a child

Therefore:

Little Wolfgang Amadeus shouldn’t be heard.

EXAMPLE