1. Yup, another powerpoint about this…
Cause and Effect
Yup, another powerpoint about this…

2. Inductive and deductive reasoning
Deductive reasoning: links causes with effects. If all causes are true, the terms are clear, and the rules of deductive logic are followed, then the conclusion reached must be true.
Inductive reasoning: is reasoning in which the individuals seek to supply strong evidence for (not absolute proof of) the truth of the conclusion. The cause is plausible, but not necessarily provable.
While the conclusion of a deductive argument is supposed to be certain, the truth of the conclusion of an inductive argument is supposed to be probable, based upon the evidence give. It is Inductive reasoning we will be using in our cause and effect essay, because it forces us to prove why the cause had its specific effect.

3. Let’s Practice… Cause and Effect
Americans never seem to tire of gossip about the rich and famous. What effect has this fascination with celebrities had on American culture?
List the things you think this obsession brings about (effects).
Cause and Effect

5. Let’s practice more…
What are some patterns you notice in the two charts?
What are some differences between men and women’s college major choices?
choose a phenomenon you notice and write a list of possible causes. Ask yourself “why” to find cause.
What are some plausible consequences of your chosen phenomenon. Ask yourself “what happens if this is true?” to find the effect

6. X causes y
Write a cause claim in the “x causes y” format for your phenomenon
Write a consequence claim in the “because/then” format for your phenomenon
For example:
Cause: The history of traditional education as seen in the one room school house model has caused more women to major in education in college.
Consequence: Because more women than men major in education, then strong male role models are lacking for students in k-12 education.

7. Logical connects
There needs to be a true, logical cause and effect relationship for your essay to work.
If you make too big of a logical leap, it will hurt the credibility of your essay (remember ethos from ENG 105? Well, we still need to have it in our writing).
If we have flawed logic in our cause and effect relationship connections, it is called a “logical fallacy”

8. Logical fallacies…
Logical fallacies are flaws in the structure of an argument that make the claims invalid. A fallacy is a falsehood, so a logical fallacy is a logical falsehood that makes no sense within a given situation.
There are many, many types of logical fallacies, but the next slides will teach you about some of the most popular.
IF you are curious and want to learn more about logical fallacies, check out this super cool, interactive website

9. Faulty Cause and Effect
The latin term for this fallacy is : Post hoc ergo propter hoc: “after this, therefore because of this”
It Confuses a sequential relationship with a causal one, and Assumes that event “A” caused event “B” because “A” occurred first.
Since the construction of the new baseball stadium, homelessness in the downtown area has decreased.

10. Hasty generalization
This fallacy Draws a conclusion about a group of people, events, or things based on insufficient examples (often the logical flaws behind racist, sexist, or bigoted statements)
My ex-alien would never let me go out of the space dome alone. Therefore, all Aliens are too possessive.

11. Remember, there must be a clear and meaningful correlation between the cause and the effect…
For a good example of clear cause and effect, check out this hilarious Saturday Night Live (SNL) sketch