generalization
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generalization
The act of drawing a general rule from individual cases, often in an invalid or overly simplifying way.
Die Aussage, dass alle Politiker korrupt sind, ist eine unzulässige Verallgemeinerung.
The statement that all politicians are corrupt is an invalid generalization.
The word is derived from the verb 'verallgemeinern' (to generalize). This in turn comes from the adjective 'allgemein' (general). The ending '-ung' turns the verb into a noun that describes the process or the result.
Durch die Verallgemeinerung von Einzelfällen entstehen oft Vorurteile.
Prejudices often arise through the generalization of individual cases.
In the meaning of an invalid simplification, the word is often combined with negative adjectives. Typical phrases are 'eine grobe Verallgemeinerung' (a crude generalization), 'eine pauschale Verallgemeinerung' (a blanket generalization), or 'eine unzulässige Verallgemeinerung' (an invalid generalization).
Zu sagen, alle jungen Leute seien faul, ist eine grobe Verallgemeinerung.
To say that all young people are lazy is a crude generalization.
In scientific or philosophical texts, 'Verallgemeinerung' (generalization) often has a neutral or positive meaning. There it describes the goal of deriving a universally valid rule from observations.
Diese Studie erlaubt die Verallgemeinerung, dass der Effekt bei allen Säugetieren auftritt.
This study allows the generalization that the effect occurs in all mammals.
principle
'das Prinzip' and 'die Verallgemeinerung' both have to do with general rules or statements. 'Prinzip' is a fundamental rule or way something works, according to which people act or something functions. 'Verallgemeinerung' more often describes the step from individual examples to a general statement. This statement may be correct, but it may also be too simple or unfair. The words can be confused because both sound general. The important point is: a principle is the rule itself; a generalization is often the result of drawing a conclusion from several cases.
Seine Aussage über alle Jugendlichen war eine Verallgemeinerung.
His statement about all young people was a generalization.
Im Kurs haben wir das Prinzip der einfachen Maschine besprochen.
In the course, we discussed the principle of the simple machine.