A logical fallacy is "an argument that contains a mistake in reasoning" (Bassham). There are two broad references in regards to logical fallacies; these are fallacies of insufficient evidence and fallacies of relevance. Fallacies of relevance occur when "the premises are logically irrelevant to the conclusion" (Bassham). Fallacies of insufficient evidence occur "because the premises, though logically relevant to the conclusion, fail to provide sufficient evidence to support the conclusion" (Bassham). I will be discussing three logical fallacies, fallacy of hasty generalization, fallacy of look who's talking, and fallacy of appeal to ignorance. In addition to summarizing the three chosen fallacies, I will also explain their significance to critical thinking and possible applications in decision-making.
             Fallacy of hasty generalization is when it is inferred that because something is a certain way, all such things are the same way. This type of fallacy falls under a fallacy of insufficient evidence. Fallacies of hasty generalization occur when a general conclusion is drawn from a biased or too small of a sample. It is important to be careful not to make hasty generalizations as these may result in unfair and inaccurate prejudices and stereotypes. Fallacies of hasty generalization are significant to critical thinking in that assumptions must be avoided. In critical thinking, assumptions can often occur based on biased or not enough information. It is important to be aware of fallacies of hasty generalization when making decisions, the conclusion must be kept in mind along with sample size and biases, if the size is too small or biased, it is not appropriate to make generalizations based on them. An organizational example from my own organization of a fallacy of hasty generalization would that because the county has the highest food stamp error rate; their employees have
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