3 ms·

What is the difference between causal projection and just not having enough data to determine the structure? Is it just that someone has picked sides and thus t

• TeMPOraL 4y ago
  I think most of the cases of "casual projection" happen organically - someone trying to explain B checks out various lines of reasoning until, at some point, they find a linear sequence[0] linking A and B that seems particularly strong in effect[1], and they focus on developing and promoting it. To do the reverse - to start with a full causal graph and trim it down to a DAG - requires you to explicitly, intentionally make your argument flawed. Doing this would be malicious. I don't think this happens often, because developing a full causal graph takes a lot of work, which you don't need if your goal is to just lie to people. -- [0] - Or a DAG, but you rarely see people capable of conceptualizing DAGs on the Internet. Even the software industry is still mostly stuck glorifying trees, and UX experts keep telling us most people aren't capable of working with trees either! [1] - Or interesting for other reasons. This is how you get motivated arguments which aren't technically wrong, just don't tell the whole story, but they happen to align with someone's interests.