Hasty Generalization In 12 Angry Men

One example of logical fallacy that was used in the film, 12 Angry Men, was hasty generalization. Hasty generalization is a fallacy in which a conclusion is not logically justified by sufficient or unbiased evidence. An argument based on a hasty generalization always proceeds from the particular to the general. Hasty generalization usually rests behind a stereotype, which a person or event is treated as typical of a whole class. In the film, Juror Ten used this fallacy, he categorized the accused young man with criminal delinquents. To avoid using this fallacy, Juror Ten should have not generalized from unrepresentative samples and logically justified his conclusion of the young man.
In the film, 12 Angry Men, an eighteen-year-old boy is on trial for the murder of his abusive …show more content…
A jury of twelve men are locked in a deliberation room where they decide the verdict of the young man, a guilty verdict would result in the death penalty. All evidence is against the young man and eleven jurors believe that the young man is guilty, however one juror votes not guilty. Juror Eight wants to discuss the trail and analyze the evidence further, he undermines the eleven-juror’s confidence of a guilty verdict when they analyze the evidence further, realizing that the murder weapon is easily available to anyone and that the testimony of the key witness is suspect. In the end of the film the jurors come to a verdict of not guilty after realizing the faults in the evidence. Throughout the film all twelve men argue the fate of the accused. Many of the jurors used logical fallacies, including hasty generalization, which was used by Juror Ten. Juror Ten is a middle-aged man and his attitude is bitter and angry, he acts as a bigot and antagonizes the rest of the jury. He finds faults mostly of those in a different race or financial class. His prejudice feelings