Correlation implies causation
Also known as: Cum hoc ergo propter hoc · Questionable cause · Correlation is not causation · Correlation vs causation
What it is
Concludes that one thing causes another because they occur together. A third factor, coincidence or reverse causation may explain the link.
Example "Ice-cream sales and drownings rise together, so ice cream causes drowning." (Hot weather drives both.)
Related
References
- Wikipedia: Correlation implies causation en.wikipedia.org
- Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Fallacies iep.utm.edu
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Fallacies plato.stanford.edu
- Wikipedia: List of fallacies en.wikipedia.org
- Purdue OWL: Logical fallacies owl.purdue.edu