Monday, November 15, 2010
Cause Effect Website
The cause effect website dictates a chain reaction scenario in which an accident is caused mainly because of an illegally parked vehicle. The article then reveals that there are two rules to dealing with causations: “the cause must precede the event in time, and even a strong correlation is insufficient to prove causation.” In the bicycle and truck situation, the insurance companies argue about the primary cause of the accident. Finger pointing is very common in court cases. One party throws the fault on the other, and nobody admits to guilt. It is all about winning the case, and making sure your client comes out on top. But when it comes down to it, what was the initial cause for the accident? If the truck had not parked illegally, the bicycle would not need to swerve into traffic, which caused a chain reaction and resulted in a car rear-ending another car. This article helps to provide ideas which will strengthen an argument, and identify the main cause of a situation.
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Your blog entry made a lot of valid points about the example used on the cause and effect website provided by our professor. The two rules dealing with causations “the cause must preced the event in time, and even a strong correlation is insufficient to prove causation” is hard to understand but as I re-read the website as well as your blog and had a better comprehension of it. I liked that you pointed out how much figure pointing is done in cause and effect arguments. The website did indeed provide us with ideas that would help strengthen an argument and identify the main cause of a situation.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciated your cause and effect blog this week. It was extremely clear, and to the point. The case between the bicyclist, driver, and parked truck illustrates well the need for strong correlation between the effect and the original causation. Most of the time we look for the immediate cause of our problems, but this example asks us to look deeper into the origins of the cause. I think this is the primary focus for issues that make it to court because as you said no one wants to admit quilt. One party needs to unequivocally show proof over another.
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