Statistical syllogism
A statistical syllogism is an inductive syllogism. Statistical syllogisms may use qualifying words like "most", "frequently", "almost never", "rarely", etc., or may have a major premise) is a generalization, and the argument attempts to draw a conclusion from that generalization.
General form:
- X proportion of F are G
- I is an F
- I is a G
In the abstract form above, F is called the "reference class" and G is the "attribute class" and I is the individual object. So, in the earlier example, "(things that are) taller than 26 inches" is the reference class and "people" is the attribute class.
Unlike many other forms of syllogism, a statistical syllogism is inductive, so when evalutating this kind of argument we should be careful to stress how strong or weak it is, along with all the other rules of induction (as opposed to deduction).
Two dicto simpliciter fallacies can occur in statistical syllogisms. They are "accident" and "converse accident". Faulty generalization fallacies can also affect any argument premise that uses a generalization.
