Selectively choosing only the earliest, most immediate, or most convenient data points to support a claim, while ignoring the broader timeline or later-developing information. It’s the fallacy of drawing a conclusion from a sample that is not only too small, but also prematurely snatched. The hasty picker is the person who declares a movie a masterpiece after the first trailer or a policy a failure after its first week.
Example: "He engaged in hasty picking about the new manager, citing her awkward first meeting as proof she'd be a disaster. He ignored the next six months where she turned the department around, because his initial 'data point' was already cemented as his truth."
by AbzuInExile January 31, 2026
Get the Hasty Picking mug.