What does over-generality mean?

Answer 1

"Overgenerality" is a informal fallacy that can lead to false conclusions. There are two types of overgenerality:

• To generalize is to draw a conclusion about a class of things from specific evidence. To overgeneralize is to draw a conclusion about a class of things that goes beyond what you can logically determine from the specific things for which you have evidence. That fallacy is also called "hasty generalization".

• Another type of overgenerality occurs when someone speaks about a broad concept in a context where the listener (or reader) is likely to interpret the statement as saying something more specific. This is not the same thing as vagueness, where the speaker is using words with fuzzy or inexact meanings. In overgeneralization, the words may be accurate, but the context leads the listener to believe that the speaker said something more specific than (s)he really did. This technique is often used by politicians to avoid committing themselves to a specific position or policy.