fallacy of false cause

The fallacy of false cause, also known as non causa pro causa, is an error in logic where a causal relationship is incorrectly assumed between events. A common form of this fallacy is post hoc ergo propter hoc, which translates to "after this, therefore because of this." This occurs when one mistakenly believes that because event B happened after event A, event A must have caused event B.12

It's important to distinguish correlation from causation. While two events might occur together or in sequence, this does not automatically mean one caused the other; it could be a coincidence. Fallacies of false cause are a type of material fallacy, where the premises of an argument presume too much or avoid the issue.34