The difference between correlation and causation
Launch library · evergreen read
Two things moving together, a correlation, does not by itself prove that one causes the other. Both could be driven by some third factor, or the relationship could run in the opposite direction to what first seems obvious, which is why careful writers are cautious about the word cause when describing a pattern like this.
Mistaking correlation for causation is one of the most common errors in public debate, partly because causal claims feel more satisfying and more actionable than uncertain ones. A campaign that overstates causation risks being easily discredited once someone points out the gap in the underlying logic being relied upon.
Good evidence literacy means being comfortable saying that two things are linked without yet knowing why, and treating stronger causal claims as something that needs its own separate, careful evidence rather than something that can simply be assumed from a pattern alone, however striking that pattern first appears.