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Causation

ValBerroaValBerroa Alum Member
in Logical Reasoning 77 karma
I have watched this lesson at least five times. I tried to do the questions but I can't weaken the argument. I don't know how to apply the Causation Theory and Strategy to each question. When I try to solve the questions all I think is the answer with the alternative cause is the correct one. Help.
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  • amanda_kwamanda_kw Alum Member
    383 karma
    Hrmm...what do you mean when you say you think the correct answer is the alt cause one?

    A more general (and hopefully more helpful) approach is 2-step.

    1. Recognize that the argument is using causation. a and b (a correlation), therefore a causes b, for example.

    2. look for an answer choice that challenges that logic. it's true that there is the alt cause theory.
    C caused a and b. But it could also be b caused a OR no relationship.

    so definitely memorize those, but also use what you know about breaking bonds between the premise and conclusion to help you. But once you identify the argument as causation - you have a leg up in getting the right answer. Sometimes - to make it easy for me - I will actually write out F then G | F causes G next to the stimulus and compare that to AC's to help me find something that weakens the link.
  • jdawg113jdawg113 Alum Inactive ⭐
    2654 karma
    if you give an example of one of the questions Im sure someone can possibly explain it better in a way that relates to actual answer choices and maybe help you see how an AC actually does address the causation but maybe subtly
  • nicole.hopkinsnicole.hopkins Inactive Sage Inactive ⭐
    7965 karma
    Agree with @jdawg113 —Why not give us a causation bone to chew on/pick clean for ya?
  • ENTJENTJ Alum Inactive ⭐
    3658 karma
    I think it helps to think of causation in conditional logic terms. Having a visual language like conditional logic can be most useful. For example:

    Causation implies Correlation. (Causation-->Correlation).

    What's the contrapositive?
    /Correlation-->/Causation (If there is no correlation, there can be no causation).

    Well what about Correlation implies Causation? (Well, no. That wouldn't be substantiated because you can have many things correlate and not necessarily be causally-linked.)

    Same goes for:

    Causation implies Chronology
    Contrapositive: /Chronology-->/Causation
    Causation implies Coincidence
    Contrapositive: /Coincidence-->/Causation

    Hope this helps!

  • emli1000emli1000 Alum Member Inactive ⭐
    3462 karma
    Which question is it?
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