Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc
From FreeThoughtPedia
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Latest revision as of 11:25, 14 May 2017
Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc also known as a causal fallacy or a false cause fallacy is a logical fallacy in which one argues that because one event happened after another event, the event that happened first caused the second event.
This is illustrated thus:
- A happened before B.
- Therefore, A is the cause of B.
The fallacious nature of this argument is illustrated with this absurd example:
- After I coughed, my microwave exploded.
- Therefore, my coughing caused my microwave to explode.
The phrase itself is Latin for "after this, therefore because of this".
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