View source for Philosophy:Questionable cause

{{Short description|Logical fallacy}}{{disputed|Questionable cause = false cause?|date=September 2011}}
The '''questionable cause'''—also known as '''causal fallacy''', '''false cause''', or '''''non causa pro causa''''' ("non-cause for cause" in [[Social:Latin|Latin]])—is a category of [[Informal fallacy|informal fallacies]] in which a [[Causality|cause]] is incorrectly identified.

For example: "Every time I go to sleep, the sun goes down. Therefore, my going to sleep causes the sun to set." The two events may coincide, but have no causal connection.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bennett|first=Bo|url=https://www.logicallyfallacious.com/tools/lp/Bo/LogicalFallacies/148/Questionable_Cause|title=Questionable Cause|website=logicallyfallacious.com|access-date=2016-11-23}}</ref>

Fallacies of questionable cause include:
* Circular cause and consequence{{citation needed|date=October 2014}}
* [[Correlation does not imply causation|Correlation implies causation]] (''cum hoc, ergo propter hoc'')
** Third-cause fallacy
** Wrong direction
* [[Philosophy:Fallacy of the single cause|Fallacy of the single cause]]
* ''[[Philosophy:Post hoc ergo propter hoc|Post hoc ergo propter hoc]]''
* [[Philosophy:Regression fallacy|Regression fallacy]]
* [[Philosophy:Texas sharpshooter fallacy|Texas sharpshooter fallacy]]
* [[Philosophy:Jumping to conclusions|Jumping to conclusions]]
* [[Philosophy:Association fallacy|Association fallacy]]
* [[Philosophy:Magical thinking|Magical thinking]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* ''[http://www.fallacyfiles.org/noncause.html Non causa pro causa]'' in the ''Fallacy Files'' by Gary N. Curtis

{{Fallacies}}

[[Category:Causal fallacies| ]]
[[Category:Informal fallacies]]

{{Sourceattribution|Questionable cause}}