Have you ever heard someone blame a superstition on an outcome that is completely unrelated?  Like, “I saw a black cat cross my path and that is why I failed my test.”  If you have, then you know what a post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy sounds like (Latin for “If therefore because of this”).  

Superstitious “Post hoc” fallacies are another way we attempt to explain events to ourselves. In an earlier episode of “Asking For A Friend” on Mindsets (Episode 4) we talked about how we explain things in our lives to ourselves. In this episode, you’ll learn about more superstitions - like lucky pennies and knocking on wood. 

TalkDoc leads a conversation with Meredith and Teighlor to uncover the dangers in these fallacies and the benefits of understanding the true reasons for an outcome.  You’ll also learn about how superstition “post hoc” fallacies can fuel the flame of shame as well as benefits of isolating the causes for why an outcome actually happened.

As you become familiar with how to spot different types of fallacies you’ll be better equipped to keep an open mind so that you can focus on evidence and ideas vs the false associations presented by “post hoc” fallacies.

Music by epidemic sound.