Causation is not a necessary condition for correlation

"Every time you find yourself saying that there must be some causal relationship between two strongly correlated variables, you should go back and look at this graph:"



Megan elaborates.

Now remember to apply your knowledge in everyday situations:



Uncertainty! Skepticism! Modest knowledge claims! Them's the rubs.

Or to borrow from J.S. Mill's Utilitarianism:

It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied. And if the fool, or the pig, are of a different opinion, it is because they only know their own side of the question. The other party to the comparison knows both sides.