(May 26, 2015 at 4:06 pm)robvalue Wrote: That is something that annoys me, I've heard it a lot from some very ignorant people. Because there may be a general difference in the average of some statistic/ability between two subsets of people, it is assumed that any two random people from each set will follow that pattern. Statistically they will most of the time, but just look at the two people in question and find out! Why try and make a predictive model of people you have right in front of you?
It is because people are stupid and lazy. It is easier to jump to a conclusion than to evaluate information properly. That is why informal (and formal) fallacies are so common.
The more stupid and lazy a person is, the more likely that person will jump to some unwarranted conclusion.
"A wise man ... proportions his belief to the evidence."
— David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Section X, Part I.
