Anecdotal evidence
Also called: Personal story as proof
Using one person's story as if it settled a general question.
How to spot it
Is a single case, or a handful, being treated as the pattern?
Example
“My uncle smoked every day and lived to ninety, so smoking is fine.”
How to answer it
A story can be real and still unrepresentative. Ask how common the outcome is.
Related
- Hasty generalization: Drawing a broad conclusion from too few or unrepresentative examples.
- Cherry-picking: Showing only the evidence that supports your case, and leaving out the rest.