One of the fallacies of argument discussed in Chapter 5 is the post hoc, ergo propter hoc (“after this, therefore because of this”) fallacy. Causal arguments are particularly prone to this kind of...

One of the fallacies of argument discussed in Chapter 5 is the post hoc, ergo propter hoc (“after this, therefore because of this”) fallacy. Causal arguments are particularly prone to this kind of fallacious reasoning, in which a writer asserts a causal relationship between two entirely unconnected events. When Angelina Jolie gave birth to twins in 2008, for instance, the stock market rallied by nearly six hundred points, but it would be difficult to argue that either event is related to the other. Because causal arguments can easily fall prey to this fallacy, you might find it instructive to create and defend an absurd connection of this kind. Begin by asserting a causal link between two events or phenomena that likely have no relationship: The enormous popularity of Jersey Shore is partially due to global warming. Then spend a page or so spinning out an imaginative argument to defend the claim. It’s OK to have fun with this exercise, but see how convincing you can be at generating plausibly implausible arguments.