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To: exDemMom
When there is a mechanism by which A causes B, then correlation is one way to measure the effects of a cause.

You wouldn't be the first ex-dem-mom to argue against the immutable laws of logic...

86 posted on 04/25/2018 3:05:54 AM PDT by papertyger (Bulverism: it's not just for liberals anymore.)
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To: papertyger
You wouldn't be the first ex-dem-mom to argue against the immutable laws of logic...

The thing about correlation is that most people do not understand the concept. They believe that correlation between A and B always means that A caused B. Or they hear the phrase that "correlation is not causation" and then believe that A never causes B. The reality is far more complicated.

In the research world, where I live, finding a correlation can be a clue that A does cause B, and that is a rationale for doing more research to find the cause. A correlation can be completely random, it can mean that A and B have a common cause, or it can mean that A caused B.

If I throw nails in the road, and five cars that drive by on that road get flat tires the same day, I will not get very far telling the police that correlation is not causation.

88 posted on 04/25/2018 3:29:54 AM PDT by exDemMom (Current visual of the hole the US continues to dig itself into: http://www.usdebtclock.org/)
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