1. any form of reasoning in which the conclusion, though supported by the premises, does not follow from them necessarily.
2. the process of estimating the validity of observations of part of a class of facts as evidence for a proposition about the whole class.
3. a conclusion reached by this process.
No less a racial expert than Jesse Jackson once famously said: “There is nothing more painful to me at this stage in my life than to walk down the street and hear footsteps... then turn around and see somebody white and feel relieved.”
If there is a basketball game at Madison Square Garden and a concert at Lincoln Center, what would my thought process be if I saw a dozen African-Americans whose average height was 6 foot six walking up Eighth Avenue? That they are in the orchestra at Licoln Center? And, equivalently, if I saw a group of short Asian-Americans walking on the same street, should I assume that they are basketball players?
You really need to stop profiling people. :>}