Hasty Generalization Fallacy
Also known as: Hasty Induction, Fallacy of Insufficient Sample, Secundum Quid
Formulated by Aristotle (-350)
Definition
A logical fallacy that draws a broad, general conclusion from a sample that is too small, too narrow, or unrepresentative to support it. The move from particular observations to a general rule is the basic structure of inductive reasoning that Aristotle analyzed in his logical works, and he was already careful to note how easily an induction goes wrong when the cases examined are not actually typical of the whole class being generalized about. The fallacy is common in economic commentary: a study observing that large, publicly listed corporations cut headcount in a given period while small and mid-sized firms added jobs gets silently generalized into a claim about 'billionaires' or 'the wealthy' as a category, even though firm size, sector, ownership structure, and the reason for the change (automation, productivity gains, restructuring) were never actually isolated as the relevant variable.