Fallacy of causation in alternative medicine?
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Original Question
What's the correct name for the fallacy used by someone who attempts to support a form of pseudoscience with anecdotal evidence? So, they may argue that this particularly example of quackery works because they tried it and it cured them or had the desired effect in some way. How do you explain that the quackery wasn't necessarily the cure? Is it fallacy of causation? Questionable cause?
I'm a uni student whose teacher is trying to teach the Feldenkrais Method. I did some research and found that the method is utter rubbish and I'm planning to confront them and ask them to remove it from the curriculum. So I need to know my facts!
Thanks all!
Answers
4argument from hearsay is also known as "anecdotal evidence fallacy". A person claims that X medicine or therapy works, and the only evidence is that it supposedly "cured" them. This cannot be tested or verified scientifically.
There may be many fallacies involved. See
cherry picking (pointing out the few cases where it appeared to work vs the countless cases where it didn't)
In addition to the previous answers by the other members, it could be also:
regression fallacy
post hoc
First, always check your premises. And, in this case, require the teach to check the premises and remind the teacher that the burden of proof for a proposition is upon the shoulders of the proponent.
As to a specific fallacy, I'd add the following to the list. Post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy, which is Latin for "after this, therefore because of this." This fallacy has several other names, such as the “Correlation proves causation fallacy,” faulty cause/effect, coincidental correlation, correlation without causation. It occurs when using the assumption that the correlation between two variables implies that one causes the other. X happened then Y happened; therefore X caused Y.
I also suggest reading Boghassian's book "How to Have Impossible Conversations: A Very Practical Guide."
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