Cherry Picking: When People Ignore Evidence that They Dislike

Also referred to as Bernoulli’s maxim, it states that, when assessing the probability that a certain hypothesis is true, we must take into account all the available information.

• Intentional: people that use intentionally cherry picking in their arguments because doing so makes their arguments more persuasive.
• Unintentional: driven by the flawed manner in which humans process information and make decisions.

• Expose the fallacious reasoning: point out the fact that your opponent is ignoring crucial information which should be taken into account, and explain why this is a problem.
• Bring omitted information into consideration: discuss the information which was omitted, and show how taking it into account changes the situation at hand.

• Ask yourself: “Is there any additional evidence or possible interpretations of existing evidence that I should be considering?”
• Avoid forming a hypothesis too early on, before you’ve had a chance to look at all the available information.