Fallacy of the single cause
Encyclopedia
The fallacy of the single cause, also known as causal oversimplification, is a fallacy
of questionable cause
that occurs when it is assumed that there is a single, simple cause of an outcome when in reality it may have been caused by a number of only jointly sufficient causes.
Often after a tragedy it is asked, "What was the cause of this?" Such language implies that there is one cause, when instead there were probably a large number of contributing factors. However, having produced a list of several contributing factors, it may be worthwhile to look for the strongest of the factors, or a single cause underlying several of them. A need for simplification may be perceived in order to make the explanation of the tragedy operational, so that responsible authorities can be seen to have taken action.
For instance, after a school shooting
, editorialists debate whether it was caused by the shooter's parents, violence in media
, stress on students, or the accessibility of guns. In fact, many different causes—including some of those—may all have necessarily contributed. Similarly, the music industry might claim that peer-to-peer file sharing
is the cause of a loss in profit whereas factors such as a growing videogame market and economic depression are also likely to be major factors.
Causal oversimplification is a specific kind of false dilemma
where conjoint possibilities are ignored. In other words, the possible causes are assumed to be "A or B or C" when "A and B and C" or "A and B and not C" (etc.) are not taken into consideration.
A notable scientific example of what can happen when this kind of fallacy is identified and resolved is the development in economics of the Coase theorem
.
Fallacy
In logic and rhetoric, a fallacy is usually an incorrect argumentation in reasoning resulting in a misconception or presumption. By accident or design, fallacies may exploit emotional triggers in the listener or interlocutor , or take advantage of social relationships between people...
of questionable cause
Questionable cause
Fallacies of questionable cause, also known as causal fallacies, non causa pro causa or false cause, are informal fallacies where a cause is incorrectly identified...
that occurs when it is assumed that there is a single, simple cause of an outcome when in reality it may have been caused by a number of only jointly sufficient causes.
Often after a tragedy it is asked, "What was the cause of this?" Such language implies that there is one cause, when instead there were probably a large number of contributing factors. However, having produced a list of several contributing factors, it may be worthwhile to look for the strongest of the factors, or a single cause underlying several of them. A need for simplification may be perceived in order to make the explanation of the tragedy operational, so that responsible authorities can be seen to have taken action.
For instance, after a school shooting
School massacre
A school shooting is an incident in which gun violence occurs at an educational institution.-Definition:The term school shooting most commonly describes acts committed by either a student or intruders from outside the school campus...
, editorialists debate whether it was caused by the shooter's parents, violence in media
Media violence research
Research into the media and violence examines whether links between consuming media violence and subsequent aggressive and violent behavior exists...
, stress on students, or the accessibility of guns. In fact, many different causes—including some of those—may all have necessarily contributed. Similarly, the music industry might claim that peer-to-peer file sharing
Peer-to-peer file sharing
P2P or Peer-to-peer file sharing allows users to download files such as music, movies, and games using a P2P software client that searches for other connected computers. The "peers" are computer systems connected to each other through internet. Thus, the only requirements for a computer to join...
is the cause of a loss in profit whereas factors such as a growing videogame market and economic depression are also likely to be major factors.
Causal oversimplification is a specific kind of false dilemma
False dilemma
A false dilemma is a type of logical fallacy that involves a situation in which only two alternatives are considered, when in fact there are additional options...
where conjoint possibilities are ignored. In other words, the possible causes are assumed to be "A or B or C" when "A and B and C" or "A and B and not C" (etc.) are not taken into consideration.
A notable scientific example of what can happen when this kind of fallacy is identified and resolved is the development in economics of the Coase theorem
Coase theorem
In law and economics, the Coase theorem , attributed to Ronald Coase, describes the economic efficiency of an economic allocation or outcome in the presence of externalities. The theorem states that if trade in an externality is possible and there are no transaction costs, bargaining will lead to...
.