Anecdotal fallacies or ‘the person who’ fallacy is about the kind of support you might have for a claim and whether or not it is as strong as it could be, if it’s just based on an anecdote or testimony. They could be an example of personal experience, or claims that are limited in terms of being able to be checked out (such as stories in popular culture).

There’s a catchphrase that goes around, that ‘anecdotal evidence isn’t evidence’, or that testimonials aren’t reliable, and to a certain extent, we can see how anecdotes or limited experiences that can’t be backed with further evidence can be questioned.

While evidence can vary in its usefulness in supporting a claim, anecdotal evidence certainly can have a place in creating an argument. While ‘anecdotes’ can be dismissed in a pejorative fashion, not all anecdotes should be considered unreliable. However, anecdotal evidence isn’t the same as, for example, evidence that is reproducible in a laboratory, with a set methodology.

If there is a high level of confidence in the source of anecdotal evidence, then it can certainly be used to support or challenge a conclusion. However, it very much depends on context and the type of evidence that’s available.