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If causality were transitive the phrase “correlation doesn’t equal causation” wouldn’t exist
by comte7092 1y ago
If causality were transitive the phrase “correlation doesn’t equal causation” wouldn’t exist
- tshaddox 1y agoSurely that's incorrect. The most obvious scenario is A causes B, B correlates with A, but B does not cause A. Whether causality is transitive is irrelevant.
- comte7092 1y agoThe quote is typically brought up when there isn’t a direct causal relationship between two variables, not when the causality is reversed. e.g. ice cream sales and drownings. In both cases heat drives behavior, but neither cause each other.
- tshaddox 1y agoI’d say reverse causality is a very common example, particularly in health and medicine (e.g. illegal drug use and psychiatric disorders).