Fake Precision
From EvoWiki
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This page is part of the EvoWiki encyclopedia of fallacies. |
Contents |
Synonyms
- False Precision
- Misplaced Precision
- Overprecision
- Specificity
- Spurious Accuracy
Explanation
You commit this fallacy if you are more precise and specific than the evidence warrants.
For every measurement in science, there should be an error bar which tells you how reliable the measurement is. Fake Precision means e.g. that you give a number up to ten decimal places when the error bar is 10%.
Countermeasure
Pointing out the error bar.
Category
External Links
- Fallacy Files [1]
- Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy [2]
- Global Tester [3] (Fake Precision)
- Objectivism [4]
Examples in creationist arguments
See also the examples in the subfallacies.
