
Correlation Is Not Causation. How Often? - throway88989898
https://www.gwern.net/Causality
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drallison
Reading Judea Pearl is recommended. You might begin with _The Book of Why_ and
then do a deep dive. Michael Neilson has a good blog post on the issue:
[http://www.michaelnielsen.org/ddi/if-correlation-doesnt-
impl...](http://www.michaelnielsen.org/ddi/if-correlation-doesnt-imply-
causation-then-what-does/) with interesting comments by Judea Pearl at
[http://www.michaelnielsen.org/ddi/guest-post-judea-pearl-
on-...](http://www.michaelnielsen.org/ddi/guest-post-judea-pearl-on-
correlation-causation-and-the-psychology-of-simpsons-paradox/). at

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andrewprock
Pretty much all the time. The chair I'm sitting in wasn't caused be me, and
vice versa.

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BoiledCabbage
No, but there is a correlation between the chairs position, and your position
while sitting in that chair.

And arguably it is partially causative. The reason you are sitting there is
because the chair is there. If the chair were 2 ft to the left, you'd be
sitting there instead.

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andrewprock
And yet, I didn't cause the chair, and the chair didn't cause me.

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BoiledCabbage
There is more to causation than 'creating into existence'.

~~~
andrewprock
Quite. This is just one of the many examples of "correlation is not
causation".

