Post hoc ergo propter hoc is a faulty assumption that, because there is a correlation between two variables, one caused the other.
After this, therefore because of this. Since event Y followed event X, event Y must have been caused by event X.
A logical fallacy of the questionable cause variety. Post hoc is a particularly tempting error because temporal sequence appears to suggest causality. The fallacy lies in a conclusion based solely on the order of events, rather than taking into account other factors potentially responsible for the result that might rule out the connection.
A simple example is "the rooster crows immediately before sunrise; therefore the rooster causes the sun to rise."
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Idioms, Fallacies, and Paradoxes
RandomAll definitions are 100% written by Wikipedia, not my own words.
