Chp. 15

3). Pick one concept from the assigned reading (chapter 15), that we have not already discussed, that you found useful or interesting and discuss it.


Post hoc ergo propter hoc. The Post hoc ergo propter hoc (also known as Post Hoc theory) is basically when a possibly cause is overlooked.  Reading through the examples and explanations in the book, Post Hoc seems to occur when someone jumps to a conclusion that may not be the best possible cause for the effect.  This occurs because we try to find a reason or cause for the effect quickly and jump to conclusions to "understand, explain, so we can control our future" (p. 309 Epstein).  As Epstein calls it, we are concluding to a coincidence instead of the actual cause. Epstein points out how everything in life appears to have a cause, so we are looking for the cause to see why the effect happened, but because the life with live and world we live in is more complex than we can remember, sometimes it may just be a coincidence and may not fully know the cause for things and should not jump to major conclusions so quickly.