The tactic of using a single exception to veto an entire generalization, no matter how well-supported. Single-anomaly veto is what happens when one counterexample—real or imagined—is used to dismiss mountains of evidence. It's the logic of "some smokers live to 100, so smoking doesn't cause cancer," of "one study found no effect, so all the other studies are wrong." The single-anomaly veto is beloved of denialists, who can always find an exception and use it to veto the rule. The cure is recognizing that generalizations are about patterns, not absolutes; exceptions prove the rule only in the sense of testing it, not disproving it.
Single-Anomaly Veto Example: "She presented decades of research showing climate change. He responded with the single-anomaly veto: 'But it snowed last week! So much for global warming.' One snowstorm, one exception, used to veto the entire climate record. The fallacy was breathtaking in its audacity, and also completely effective with those who wanted to believe it."
by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal February 17, 2026
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