What logical fallacy is implied when cigarette smoking is claimed not to affect health based on the longevity of a single individual?

The claim that cigarette smoking does not affect health based on the longevity of a single individual represents a logical fallacy known as Selected Instances. This fallacy occurs when a conclusion is drawn from an insufficient or non-representative sample. In this case, the health outcomes of one person are used to make a sweeping statement about the effects of cigarette smoking on health for everyone.

This reasoning ignores the broader context and the substantial statistical evidence demonstrating that smoking is generally harmful to health. By focusing on a single instance, it overlooks the many other cases where individuals who smoke have suffered health consequences. The reliance on a singular anecdote is misleading and does not provide an accurate or reliable basis for making claims about smoking's health effects in the general population. Therefore, the assertion relies on an incomplete and biased sample rather than a thorough evaluation of the overall data.