Rudy Giuliani, maybe? After all, he did it in New York. At least that’s what he boasted during a Republican presidential primary
debate in November 2007. Giuliani, who has since dropped out of the race, was clearly joking, but his spoof illustrated a serious point that good critical reasoners should keep in mind: the fact that two things happen at the same time isn’t by itself reason for thinking that they are related. Giuliani’s joke illustrates what logicians call a post hoc
fallacy. This lesson will help students recognize – and avoid – post hoc arguments.
Objectives
In this lesson, students will:
- Learn to recognize post hoc fallacies.
- Examine a gag presidential advertisement for Rudy Giuliani which contains a (deliberately absurd) post hoc fallacy.
- Pick out real-world instances of post hoc fallacies.