Do Not Commit the "Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc" Fallacy

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Instructions

Do Not Commit the "Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc" Fallacy

1. "Post hoc, ergo propter hoc" is Latin for "after this, therefore because of this." It refers to the logical fallacy of assuming that, because one event follows another, it was also caused by it. For example: "I thought of my brother, and 2 seconds later, he phoned me. He must have felt my aura and responded to me." Or: "The rooster crowed and the sun rose. Therefore, the rooster's sound must have caused the sun to rise."
   
   Sometimes an event happens after another event coincidentally, and the two have nothing to do with each other. Mere proximity in time should not be taken as sufficient proof of a cause-and-effect relationship.
   
   At other times, a number of partial causes lead to an effect, but one is selected as the sole cause. This is called "oversimplification of the cause," and it is also flawed thinking. We can't establish what is actually the case solely by referring to when things happen.

Next: Do Not Argue By Analogy

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