The questionable cause—also known as causal fallacy, false cause, or ''non causa pro causa'' ("non-cause for cause" in
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...
)—is a category of
informal fallacies in which a
cause is incorrectly identified.
For example: "Every time I go to sleep, the sun goes down. Therefore, my going to sleep causes the sun to set." The two events may coincide, but have no causal connection.
Fallacies of questionable cause include:
*
Circular cause and consequence
The phrase "correlation does not imply causation" refers to the inability to legitimately deduce a cause-and-effect relationship between two events or variables solely on the basis of an observed association or correlation between them. The id ...
*
Correlation implies causation (''cum hoc, ergo propter hoc'')
**
Third-cause fallacy
**
Wrong direction
*
Fallacy of the single cause
* ''
Post hoc ergo propter hoc
''Post hoc ergo propter hoc'' (Latin: 'after this, therefore because of this') is an informal fallacy that states: "Since event Y ''followed'' event X, event Y must have been ''caused'' by event X." It is often shortened simply to ''post hoc fall ...
''
*
Regression fallacy
The regression (or regressive) fallacy is an informal fallacy. It assumes that something has returned to normal because of corrective actions taken while it was abnormal. This fails to account for natural fluctuations. It is frequently a special ki ...
*
Texas sharpshooter fallacy
*
Jumping to conclusions
*
Association fallacy
* ''
Reductio ad hitlerum''
*
Magical thinking
Magical thinking, or superstitious thinking, is the belief that unrelated events are causally connected despite the absence of any plausible causal link between them, particularly as a result of supernatural effects. Examples include the idea that ...
References
External links
*
Non causa pro causa' in the ''Fallacy Files'' by Gary N. Curtis
{{Fallacies
Informal fallacies