Definitions
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun the logical fallacy of believing that temporal succession implies a causal relation
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Examples
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politicslovr commented on the word post hoc ergo propter hoc
my favorite latin phrase.
literally: "after this, therefore this caused this." used in logic to describe a fallacy of causation.
January 10, 2007
kewpid commented on the word post hoc ergo propter hoc
Also employed on an episode of The West Wing.
“After it, therefore because of it. It means one thing follows the other, therefore it was caused by the other, but it's not always true. In fact, it's hardly ever true. We did not lose Texas because of the hat joke. Do you know when we lost Texas?”
— Josiah Bartlet
November 1, 2007
dgstone commented on the word post hoc ergo propter hoc
This means, "After it, therefore because of it."
President Josiah Bartlet: "Do you know when we lost Texas, CJ?
CJ Cregg: "When you learned to speak Latin?"
President Josiah Bartlet:"Go figure."
- West Wing
March 13, 2008