Post hoc ergo propter hoc facts for kids
Post hoc ergo propter hoc is a Latin phrase. It means "after this, therefore because of this." People also call it the post hoc fallacy. It is a logical fallacy. This means it is a mistake in thinking or reasoning. This fallacy happens when someone thinks: "Event B happened after Event A, so Event A must have caused Event B."
This idea is different from "correlation does not imply causation." With post hoc, the mistake comes only from the order of events. It does not consider other things that might show there is no real connection.
Here is a simple example:
- The rooster crows just before the sun rises.
- Therefore, the rooster makes the sun rise.
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What is the Post Hoc Fallacy?
The post hoc fallacy is a common error in thinking. It assumes that if one thing happens after another, the first thing must have caused the second. This is not always true. Just because events happen in order does not mean they are connected by cause and effect.
Why is it a Fallacy?
It is a fallacy because it ignores other possible reasons. Many things can happen one after another by chance. Or, something else entirely could be the real cause. For example, if you wear your lucky socks and then your team wins, it does not mean the socks caused the win. The team won because they played well.
Real-Life Examples
- A student gets a bad grade after eating a new breakfast cereal. They might think the cereal caused the bad grade. But many other things could have affected their grade, like not studying enough.
- A town builds a new park, and then crime rates go down. Someone might say the park caused the crime drop. However, other things, like new police programs, could be the real reason.
Post Hoc in Popular Culture
The character Sheldon Cooper from the TV show The Big Bang Theory talks about this fallacy. He uses it when he disagrees with his mother. She thought her prayer group kept him safe during his trip to the North Pole. Sheldon explained that his safety was not caused by the prayers just because they happened before he returned safely.
