Example of illogically inferring causation from correlation - Deepstash
Example of illogically inferring causation from correlation

Example of illogically inferring causation from correlation

Example:

The faster that windmills are observed to rotate, the more wind is observed.

Therefore, wind is caused by the rotation of windmills.

In this example, the correlation (simultaneity) between windmill activity and wind velocity does not imply that wind is caused by windmills. It is rather the other way around, as suggested by the fact that wind does not need windmills to exist, while windmills need wind to rotate. Wind can be observed in places where there are no windmills or non-rotating windmills—and there are good reasons to believe that wind existed before the invention of windmills.

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