post hoc fallacy
Say it: pohst HOK FAL-uh-see /ˌpəʊst ˈhɒk ˌfaləsi/ · noun
What “post hoc fallacy” means
Assuming one event caused another just because it happened first.
More precisely: Assuming that because one thing happened after another, the first caused the second.
When to use it
When challenging claims about causes that rely only on the order of events, without evidence connecting them.
Memory trick
'Post hoc' means 'after this': happening afterwards does not prove a cause.
Similar words
false cause, post hoc ergo propter hoc
Where it comes from
From Latin post hoc ergo propter hoc, 'after this, therefore because of this'.
Quick check
You open your umbrella, then the rain stops, so you claim opening it stopped the rain. That's…
reverse causation or the post hoc fallacy?
Show the answer
the post hoc fallacy
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