“I have listened to the parliament speech of the president of the country XYZ…
2023
“I have listened to the parliament speech of the president of the country XYZ once. From that I must conclude that he is a lousy speaker.”
Which fallacy is committed in the above statement?
Answer: B. Hasty Generalization — ConceptA hasty generalization is a weak inductive inference: it extends a judgment from a sample that is too small or unrepresentative to support the broader…
- A.
Begging the question
- B.
Hasty Generalization
- C.
Slippery Slope
- D.
Ad Hominem
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Concept
A hasty generalization is a weak inductive inference: it extends a judgment from a sample that is too small or unrepresentative to support the broader conclusion.
To identify it, compare the breadth of the conclusion with the amount and representativeness of the evidence.
Application
The evidence is one parliamentary speech by one president.
The conclusion labels the president a poor speaker in general, so it goes beyond what one performance can establish.
Cross-check and contrast
Begging the question would use the conclusion, or an assumption of it, as a premise; no circular premise appears here.
A slippery slope would predict a chain of escalating consequences; no such chain is claimed.
An ad hominem would dismiss an argument by attacking the speaker; this statement instead generalizes about speaking ability from one observation.
Therefore, the fallacy is Hasty Generalization.