(Ävâ²Ä­d) adj. 1. Having or marked by keen interest and enthusiasm: an avid golfer; an avid interest in cooking. 2. Having or marked by strong desire or craving; greedy: an economy with an avid appetite for consumer goods.
Definition: Making assumptions about a whole group or range of cases based on a sample that is inadequate (usually because it is atypical or too small). Stereotypes about people (âlibrarians are shy and smart,â âwealthy people are snobs,â etc.) are a common example of the principle underlying hasty generalization.
Arguments which use universals such as, âalwaysâ, âneverâ, âeveryoneâ, ânobodyâ, etc., are prone to being reduced to absurd conclusions. The fallacy is in the argument that could be reduced to absurdity -- so in essence, reductio ad absurdum is a technique to expose the fallacy. Logical Form: Assume P is true. From this assumption, deduce that Q is true. Also deduce that Q is false.