post hoc ergo propter hoc

The phrase "post hoc, ergo propter hoc" is a Latin term that translates to "after this, therefore because of this." It describes a logical fallacy where someone mistakenly assumes that because one event happened before another, the first event must have caused the second.123

This is a flawed argument because temporal sequence does not necessarily imply causation. For instance, believing that a rooster's crowing causes the sun to rise is an example of this fallacy. The term "post hoc" itself can also refer to this fallacy or to something formulated after the fact.324