Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc

By Haley Dowell and Jordyn Brounstein

Definition:
An attempt to prove that because a second
event followed a first event, the second
event was a result of the first.

Example #1

Example #1:

Example #2

Marriage Makes You Happier?

Married people may be happier in the long run than those who arent
married, according to new research by Michigan State University
scientists.
Their study online in the Journal of Research in Personality,
finds that although matrimony does not make people happier than they
were when they were single, it appears to protect against normal
declines in happiness during adulthood.
Our study suggests that people on average are happier than
they would have been if they didnt get married, said Stevie C.Y. Yap, a
researcher in MSUs Department of Psychology.
Yap, Ivana Anusic and Richard Lucas studied the data of
thousands of participants in a long-running, national British survey.
They set out to find whether personality helps people adapt to major
life events including marriage.
-Love and Fidelity Network

Analysis
As a fallacy that is used not only in the advertising world, but in our everyday colloquial explanations, Post Hoc Ergo
Propter Hoc (PHEPH) has become a way for our generation to attempt to persuade others. The ideology behind PHEPH is that a
second event is caused by first event : a simple example is I ate broccoli before my math test, and I got an A+ on the test.
Therefore vegetables made me smarter. To educated people, it is easy to identify this statement as false because we know that
vegetables do not necessarily make a person smarter, and do not assist in acing math tests. For individuals who dont like
vegetables, for instance young children, this illogical fallacy becomes a seemingly logical explanation for why a person could
become more intelligent. Something that causes a person more intelligence, in this example vegetables, will sell better to the
public than something that will make you fat and keep you at the same IQ. By analyzing the examples seen in everyday
contemporary culture and the different understandings of PHEPH fallacies, it has become evident that this specific fallacy is used
for those who have extreme gullibility or have an obvious vulnerability to persuasive advertisement. A news article promoted that
strictly vegetarian students have a higher intelligence than those who consume meat. This marks another illogical fallacy found in
the rumored to be logical pool of individuals. The notion that once you get married you will be happier is another perfect illogical
fallacy in contemporary culture. The implications of this fallacy makes marriage seem more simplistic than it sounds.
Inexperienced people will immediately think that marriage will lead to an ultimate Zen in life; however, marriage in the real world
implies hard work, dedication, and the beginnings of a family. Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc alludes from the truth by distracting an
individual with another event that has no meaning to the first. This fallacy accomplishes derision, false implications, and creates a
perfect distraction for those caught in contemporary culture.

Sources
"Philosophy Monkey." : Michael Specter. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2015.
"Vegetarians and IQ (Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc?)." PACTISS Philosophers and Critical Thinkers in Senior Schools
Resources for Educators. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2015.
How to Pick Your Life Partner - Part 1 | Wait But Why." Wait But Why. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2015. Website
"Marriage May Make People Happier, Studies Show - Love & Fidelity Network." Love Fidelity Network. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar.
2015.