Question

• Why is it a fallacy to confuse causation and correlation?
• Provide an example of a statement that confuses causation with correlation.
• 2 paragraph

Answer 1

A correlation is the relationship between two sets of variables used to describe or predict information. Sometimes when there is a correlation, you may think that you have found a causation.

Causation, also known as cause and effect, is when an observed event or action appears to have caused a second event or action

The complementary idea that "correlation implies causation" is an example of a questionable-cause logical fallacy, in which two events occurring together are taken to have established a cause-and-effect relationship. This fallacy is also known by the Latin phrase hoc ergo propter hoc ("with this, therefore because of this").

Example of confusing correlation with causation :-

- ice cream sales and drownings

- chewing tobacco and playing in the major leagues.