Post hoc ergo propter hoc

Post hoc ergo propter hoc

Post hoc ergo propter hoc, Latin for "after this, therefore because of this," is a logical fallacy (of the questionable cause variety) that states, "Since that event followed this one, that event must have been caused by this one." It is often shortened to simply post hoc and is also sometimes referred to as false cause, coincidental correlation, or correlation not causation. It is subtly different from the fallacy cum hoc ergo propter hoc, in which the chronological ordering of a correlation is insignificant.

Post hoc is a particularly tempting error because temporal sequence appears to be integral to causality. The fallacy lies in coming to a conclusion based solely on the order of events, rather than taking into account other factors that might rule out the connection.

Contents

Pattern

The form of the post hoc fallacy can be expressed as follows:

  • A occurred, then B occurred.
  • Therefore, A caused B.

When B is undesirable, this pattern is often extended in reverse: Avoiding A will prevent B.

Examples

From Attacking Faulty Reasoning by T. Edward Damer:[1]

"I can't help but think that you are the cause of this problem; we never had any problem with the furnace until you moved into the apartment." The manager of the apartment house, on no stated grounds other than the temporal priority of the new tenant's occupancy, has that the tenant's presence has some causal relationship to the furnace's becoming faulty.

From With Good Reason by S. Morris Engel:[2]

More and more young people are attending high schools and colleges today than ever before. Yet there is more juvenile delinquency and more alienation among the young. This makes it clear that these young people are being corrupted by their education.

One class of examples is sometimes called the "Rooster Syndrome": "believing that the rooster’s crowing causes the sun to rise".

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Damer, T Edward (1995). Attacking Faulty Reasoning: A Practical Guide to Fallacy-Free Arguments (3rd. ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing. p. 131. ISBN 978-0-534-21750-1. OCLC 30319422. 
  2. ^ Engel, S Morris (1994). With good reason: an introduction to informal fallacies (5th. ed.). New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 165. ISBN 978-0-312-08479-0. OCLC 30478315. 

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  • Post hoc — ergo propter hoc Post hoc, ergo propter hoc (latin pour à la suite de cela, donc à cause de cela[1]) est un sophisme qui consiste à prendre pour la cause ce qui n est qu un antécédent[2], c est prétendre que si un évènement suit un autre alors le …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Post Hoc — Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Para la falacia, véase Post hoc ergo propter hoc. Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc Episodio de El Ala Oeste Título Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc Episodio nº Temporada 1 Episodio 2 …   Wikipedia Español

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  • Post hoc ergo propter hoc — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Post hoc ergo propter hoc es una expresión latina que significa “después de esto, luego a consecuencia de esto”. A veces se acorta por post hoc. Post hoc es también llamado correlación coincidente o causa falsa, es… …   Wikipedia Español

  • post hoc ergo propter hoc — adv. (Latin) After this, therefore because of this; the mistaken reasoning that if something happens after an event, it was necessarily caused by that event. The Essential Law Dictionary. Sphinx Publishing, An imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. Amy… …   Law dictionary

  • Post hoc, ergo propter hoc — (lat.), »nach diesem, also wegen dieses«, Bezeichnung eines fehlerhaften Schlusses, wenn man aus der bloßen Aufeinanderfolge (post hoc) zweier Erscheinungen einen ursachlichen Zusammenhang (propter hoc) folgert …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Post hoc, ergo propter hoc —         (лат.) после этого, значит по причине этого. Неправильное заключение, логич. ошибка. Философский энциклопедический словарь. М.: Советская энциклопедия. Гл. редакция: Л. Ф. Ильичёв, П. Н. Федосеев, С. М. Ковалёв, В. Г. Панов. 1983 …   Философская энциклопедия

  • Post hoc, ergo propter hoc — (lat., nach diesem, also wegen dieses), fehlerhafter Schluß, nach welchem man aus der bloßen Aufeinanderfolge zweier Erscheinungen auch einen natürlichen Zusammenhang zwischen beiden folgert …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

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