Hey what’s up Thinkers! Kathy Gibbens here…
Let’s start off today with a review that a listener recently left for the podcast. This one is from someone with the username MLG2005. They said, “I am a Classical Conversations director who just found this podcast. It’s been a great resource for me this year. The episodes are quick and easy to listen to. She has a great voice and keeps you engaged.” Yay - it’s so fun to hear from a fellow CC director, I’ve been directing for the past 4 years and I love it. Thank you so much for leaving a review, and can I just ask…if you haven’t yet, would you take just a minute and leave a review for the show? Seriously, it is not only encouraging to me, but it helps the show get found by others. And goodness knows, we need more people to learn how to think in this world!
I am super excited to tell you that Classical Conversations is sponsoring this podcast again for the next several months and I’m so grateful for that! This is the homeschool organization we’ve been with for the past 11 years and it’s where we have learned so many skills about how to think well! If you’re considering homeschooling & don’t want to do it alone, check out the Classical Conversations model, where you can join a community of like-minded families and take the homeschool journey together. We have 2 free e-books for you if you’d like to learn more about homeschooling and what a classical education even is. Just fill out the form at www.classicalconversations.com/gibbens to get immediate access!
Alright, let’s dive into today’s new fallacy, the Fallacy of Ignoring a Common Cause. Someone commits the fallacy of Ignoring a Common Cause when they think that one thing causes another thing just because those two things are often connected. They don’t stop to consider that there could be something else causing it.
Here’s a simple example. Danny has itchy eyes and a runny nose. He assumes that his itchy eyes must be what’s making his nose run. But is that really true just because they’re happening at the same time? In reality, Danny has allergies and the allergies are making his eyes itch and they’re making his nose run. Do you see the fallacy? Just because Danny’s eyes itch at the same time that his nose runs doesn’t mean one is causing the other. There could be something else entirely that’s causing both of them.
Here’s another simple example: “When ice cream sales go up, lemonade sales also go up. Isn’t it interesting how people want to drink lemonade with their ice cream?” Ok, is that really true? Is the ice cream causing people to want to drink more lemonade or is there a third cause at work here? Could it be that it’s summertime and it’s hot outside and the heat is making people want to eat more ice cream and drink more lemonade?
People commonly commit this fallacy when they don’t bother to look for another cause to what they’re seeing. They make a simple assumption based on what they’re seeing & observing and their curiosity stops there. Sometimes, it could be correct, but to know for sure, you have to ask another question.
This fallacy can be really dangerous in some fields. Take doctors, for example. From time to time, we hear stories of people who go to the doctor for one thing, say a stomach ache and acid reflux, and they’re told the acid reflux is causing the stomach ache, given some antacids and sent home…only to find out later that they actually have a really serious stomach disease that should have been caught earlier. Ok, so that’s a made-up scenario, but it shows how in the medical field, they have to be very, very aware of this fallacy and do the due diligence required to not ignore another possible cause just because it’s not as obvious. And, that’s exactly what most good doctors do. They’ll run various tests to rule out just such things.
The question to ask yourself to avoid the Fallacy of Ignoring a Common Cause is this: “Could there be a third source that’s causing both of these issues?” *repeat*
Remember: When you learn HOW to think, you will no longer fall prey to those who are trying to tell you what THEY want you to think and it all starts with asking one simple question: “Is that really true?”
