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.
generalization
A general statement or general concept derived from specific observations.
In der Wissenschaft sucht man nach Verallgemeinerungen, die als Naturgesetze formuliert werden können.
In science, people look for generalizations that can be formulated as laws of nature.
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.
abstraction
Both words can describe forming a general concept or rule from specific observations. „Verallgemeinerung“ extends a statement to additional cases and can oversimplify things in the process; „Abstraktion“ primarily leaves out individual features. Use „Verallgemeinerung“ for extending a statement and „Abstraktion“ for leaving out details.
Aus zwei unfreundlichen Nachbarn eine Regel für alle Bewohner abzuleiten, ist eine Verallgemeinerung.
Deriving a rule about all residents from two unfriendly neighbors is a generalization.
Bei der Beschreibung des Hauses nutzte die Zeichnerin eine Abstraktion und ließ Fenster und Türen weg.
When describing the house, the artist used an abstraction and left out the windows and doors.
