Term: Fallacy of Composition

The composition fallacy occurs when someone assumes that because one part or aspect of something is flawed or lacking, the entire thing must be rejected as false, wrong, or insufficient. It involves focusing on a single flaw or weakness and ignoring all other evidence or considerations.

For example:

• Claiming an entire business plan is doomed to fail because one minor detail was overlooked.
• Rejecting a scientific theory outright because of a single unexplained data point, while ignoring the large body of evidence supporting the theory.
• Dismissing someone’s entire argument because of one weak point, even if their overall argument is sound.
• Declaring all of Windows is useless because you don’t like the way Windows File Explorer sorts things.

The fallacy is problematic because most complex issues, ideas, and arguments have both strengths and weaknesses. Zeroing in on a single flaw while ignoring the bigger picture is a misleading oversimplification.

In reality, success or failure in complex areas like business, science, or interpersonal relationships usually depends on many factors. Small flaws in several areas can combine to undermine success, while small improvements across many factors can lead to large gains overall. Rarely does the entire fate of a complex issue hinge on one single make-or-break flaw.

List of fallacies – Wikipedia

(This definition was sourced via perplexity.ai, reviewed for accuracy, and edited for context.)