Reply #33: I think you need a remedial course in basic logic

[Euromutt]

I am pulled to the earth because of gravity? Nonsense - correlation doesn't equal causation. :silly:

Try looking up the terms "necessary condition" and "sufficient condition"; the Wikipedia article isn't bad: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necessary_and_sufficient_condition
Statistical correlation is a necessary condition for establishing a causal relationship, but it is not a sufficient condition. The correlation that, when you release an object, it falls to the ground could just as readily be interpreted as evidence that angels/spirits/whatever push the object down. Every time, without fail. If you're a dedicated pseudoscientist, you could even present the fact that when objects are released, they fall to the ground, as evidence of the existence of angels/spirits/whatever (who else would be able to always be there to push the object down but a supernatural entity?) because why should you let the fact that's a completely circular argument stop you?

More seriously, correlation not being a sufficient condition to establish causation is a cornerstone of the scientific method, and you cannot disparage it without discarding the scientific method entirely. Otherwise, you would have to accept that, every time someone went to a faith healer or a naturopath or a witch doctor or some other form of quack with a headache (or cut out the middleman and prayed directly to God, gods, or spirits) and that headache went away, it must have been the quack or the invisible buddy who cured the headache.

The methodology of public health research concerning firearms, such as Kellerman's, is pretty similar: dude had a gun, dude got killed, therefore having gun got dude killed. Post hoc ergo propter hoc.