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 Latin)—is a category of informal fallacies in which the cause or causes is/are incorrectly identified. In other words, it is a fallacy of reaching a conclusion that one thing caused another, simply because they are regularly associated.

Questionable cause can be logically reduced to: "A is regularly associated with B; therefore, A causes B."{{cite web | url=https://www.logicallyfallacious.com/logicalfallacies/Questionable-Cause | title=Questionable Cause }}

For example: "Every time I score an A on the test its a sunny day. Therefore the sunny day causes me to score well on the test." Here is the example the two events may coincide or correlate, but have no causal connection.{{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}}

Fallacies of questionable cause include:

• Circular cause and consequence{{citation needed|date=October 2014}}
• Correlation implies causation (cum hoc, ergo propter hoc)
• Third-cause fallacy
• Wrong direction
• Fallacy of the single cause
• Post hoc ergo propter hoc
• Observational interpretation fallacy
• Regression fallacy
• Texas sharpshooter fallacy
• Jumping to conclusions
• Association fallacy
• Magical thinking