Do Not Use Anecdotal Evidence to Prove a Point

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Instructions

Do Not Use Anecdotal Evidence to Prove a Point

1. Anecdotal evidence proves little. If we assume the anecdotal evidence we are hearing is true, we can use it to disprove a universal claim. For example, if someone claims that all midgets are blind, you can disprove the claim by reporting that you have a cousin who is a sighted midget. In most contexts, however, anecdotal evidence is worse than useless, because it is misleading. If there are 50 people in a room, and 10 of them have stories to share about the warmth and compassion of Texans, should we take their stories as evidence of the proposition that most Texans are warm and compassionate? Of course we shouldn't: We haven't heard about even a tiny fraction of Texans. We've only heard about a portion of the behavior of Texans met by 10 people.

Next: Do Not Commit the "Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc" Fallacy

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