Generalizations can be useful, in the sense of giving us a shorthand with which we can preempt the necessity of hyper-vigilance and paying far too much attention (see: Kahneman: Thinking Fast and Slow regarding ‘System 1 and System 2’ where System 1 is old, effortless, and doesn’t check its results for errors, and System 2 is effortful, looks for its own errors, and is more expensive, metabolically) to situations that are more easily dealt with … by our nervous systems rather than formal consciousness.

There is a danger here, however, in that we extend or ‘believe’ generalizations far beyond their appropriate scope. I here explore that situation, and demonstrate some examples of both the problem and some possible solutions.