Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc Law and Legal Definition
Post hoc ergo propter hoc is a Latin term that means "after this, therefore because of this". It is used to describe a fallacy in thinking that one event causes another simply because the supposed cause occurred before the proposed effect.
For example, such reasoning might occur when a person becomes sick after shaking hands with a person who is ill. Without more proof of a causal connection, such reasoning may be said to be post hoc ergo propter hoc.
