Summary
What is a fallacy? Fallacy in a logical stand point it is an error in reasoning which leads to an argument being invalid. There are various kinds of fallacy, but the one I chose is Texas sharpshooter fallacy. What is a Texas sharpshooter fallacy you may ask. Texas Sharpshooter fallacy is, when in an argument you choose information or data that well suits your argument compared to the information that opposes it. The differences are often ignored to make the similarities shine out more. In critical thinking, fallacy is a concept that interprets data and conceptualizing theories.
There are many examples of Texas sharpshooting fallacy. One example that well explains how it works is or could be found in health and disease data. The following scenario: someone evaluates cancer statistics in several locations across the country. They notice that one tiny town has a substantially higher cancer rate than the national average and deduce that the high cancer rate must be caused by a specific environmental or lifestyle element unique to that town.This conclusion could possibly be the Texas Sharpshooter Fallacy if the person concentrated solely on this one town without taking into account the overall distribution of cancer rates across other communities. With so many communities, some are statistically likely to have greater or lower rates simply by chance. By focusing solely on the outlier and then seeking a cause for the high rate, the individual ignores the possibility that the observed pattern is random rather than owing to a specific cause. They are essentially "drawing a target" around the data point after the fact, in the same way that a sniper paints a mark around bullet holes.Such an approach can result in misdirected efforts to identify particular reasons when none exist, diverting focus and resources away from more effective, evidence-based remedies.It emphasizes the significance of seeing data in the context of its broader distribution and exercising caution when attributing cause and effect without rigorous study.
