CORRELATION AND CAUSALITY
Charles François (2004). CORRELATION AND CAUSALITY, International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, 2(1): 726.
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 726 ▶ |
| Object type | General information, Epistemology, ontology or semantics |
A statistical correspondance between two or various series of observations related to the behavior of the same or various entities can be fortuitous.
Accordingly, correlation does not necessarily imply a causal link .
Such a link may be established only when:
- one phenomenon can normally be explained by the preceeding occurence of the other
- both observed phenomena can be explained as different consequences of another one
Anyhow, correlations should in many cases be considered as an indication of a possible causal relationship and investigated as such.