- Posts: 34
- Joined: Dec 09, 2019
- Sat Dec 21, 2019 5:49 pm
#72745
This causal relationship stuff is a bit tricky.
Interesting stat...
I read in this forum that over 30% of the logical reasoning stimuli on the LSAT is about conditional reasoning and causal reasoning. Two of the most frequently tested, yet most frequently misinterpreted.
In an attempt to save my own arse from making these mistakes…I gave a definition of what causal relationships mean as I understand it and I gave an example…I'd love if you can tell me if I have my head on the shoulder or if it has fallen out. Thank you!
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A causal relationship means A causes B. When A happens B must happen. If B doesn’t happen, then it weakens the causal argument that A causes B. It doesn’t disprove it though because A can still contribute to B happening even though it may not be sufficient to single-handedly bring about that outcome. Also, think of A as the trigger and B as the effect. If B happens, then A must have preceded. If it didn’t then it weakens the causal argument but, as we said earlier, it doesn’t definitively disprove it.
For example, let’s say you have a key that opens your apartment door. Inserting your key causes your apartment door to open. If your apartment door doesn’t open, can we say that your key doesn’t open the door? No. Your key could still open the door but maybe the problem is with the door itself. Possibly the keyhole is damaged. This is an example that weakens the possibility that A causes the door to open but it doesn’t rule it out because there could be other reasons why B didn’t happen.
Interesting stat...
I read in this forum that over 30% of the logical reasoning stimuli on the LSAT is about conditional reasoning and causal reasoning. Two of the most frequently tested, yet most frequently misinterpreted.
In an attempt to save my own arse from making these mistakes…I gave a definition of what causal relationships mean as I understand it and I gave an example…I'd love if you can tell me if I have my head on the shoulder or if it has fallen out. Thank you!
======
A causal relationship means A causes B. When A happens B must happen. If B doesn’t happen, then it weakens the causal argument that A causes B. It doesn’t disprove it though because A can still contribute to B happening even though it may not be sufficient to single-handedly bring about that outcome. Also, think of A as the trigger and B as the effect. If B happens, then A must have preceded. If it didn’t then it weakens the causal argument but, as we said earlier, it doesn’t definitively disprove it.
For example, let’s say you have a key that opens your apartment door. Inserting your key causes your apartment door to open. If your apartment door doesn’t open, can we say that your key doesn’t open the door? No. Your key could still open the door but maybe the problem is with the door itself. Possibly the keyhole is damaged. This is an example that weakens the possibility that A causes the door to open but it doesn’t rule it out because there could be other reasons why B didn’t happen.
