I have lived in a house on the Mississippi River for many years and have never seen a flood. Therefore, there is no reason for anyone to buy flood insurance. This statement is an example of
A) fallacy of composition.
B) post hoc, ergo propter hoc fallacy.
C) fallacy of inductive reasoning.
D) ceteris paribus fallacy.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The statement is an example of the fallacy of composition because it assumes that what is true for one part of a group is true for the entire group. In this case, the person assumes that because they have not seen a flood in their house, no one else will see a flood in their house. This is not necessarily true, as there may be other factors that could cause a flood in someone else's house, such as living in a different location or having a different type of house.

I Have Lived in a House on the Mississippi River