What is causation?

Causation means one thing actually produces another.

LSAT arguments constantly claim causation from weaker evidence: a correlation, a sequence of events, or a single study.

The standard attacks are alternative explanations, reverse causation (the effect caused the supposed cause), and showing the effect would have happened anyway.

When you see "therefore X causes Y," your first question should be "what else could cause Y?"

Related glossary entry: correlation vs. causation.

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Last updated October 12, 2026