Survivorship bias
Also called: Seeing only the winners
Judging by the examples that survived and forgetting those that didn't.
How to spot it
Who is missing from the story? What happened to the failures?
Example
“Famous founders dropped out of college, so dropping out leads to success.”
How to answer it
Ask how many tried the same thing and didn't make it.
Related
- Cherry-picking: Showing only the evidence that supports your case, and leaving out the rest.
- Appeal to wealth: Treating wealth or success as proof that someone is right, or poverty as proof they are wrong.