The Fallacy Of The Average


A fallacy is a pattern of logical reasoning which appears on its surface to be a pattern of sound reasoning.  The fallacy of the average is based on the false notion that the effect of a thing averaged out on a large scale is equivalent to an effect of the same thing on a small scale.

A drop of rain falling anywhere in the Pacific is self-evidently insignificant as a matter of scale.

But what if that single drop of rain falls into the mains supply circuit of a radio?

Netherton syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive genodermatosis of unknown cause characterized by: erythroderma, trichorrhexis invaginata (TI) (bamboo hair), ichthyosis linearis circumflexa (ILC), atopic diathesis and failure to thrive.



The syndrome is named either as Netherton or as Comel and Netherton.