Faulty Cause/Effect
Latin Name
Other Names
Description
Humans naturally look for patterns and sometimes we even see them where they do not exist. This often leads us to see patterns in events and make incorrect assumptions about cause and effect. We often assume that X happened, then Y happened, and therefore X must have caused Y.
Example
The shooter was known to play violent video games. Therefore violent video games make people violent in real life.
Famous Examples
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That's the number one thing that causes your immune system to break down - static electricity. That's why when things dry out, winter comes, all of a sudden you touch stuff like [electric shock sounds] and then everybody's got sniffles, colds, coughs, flus, fevers, all that stuff starts kicking in. Static electricity.
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I feel genius in great works of art. I have seen medical cures that science can’t explain, some seemingly triggered by faith. The same is true of millions of other people.
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If you have enemies, good that means you stood up for something.
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E.R is off the air after 15 seasons. That's what you get with Obama's socialized medicine.
Context: The Colbert Report (television show) -
For example, 40% of homosexual men have a history of major depression. That compares with only 3% for men in general. Similarly 37% of female homosexuals have a history of depression. This leads in turn to heightened suicide rates.(...) Whatever the causes of these disorders, the fact remains that anyone contemplating a homosexual lifestyle should have no illusions about what he is getting into.
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